The Dragon Slayer Prophecy
by NinNinKakizaki2013
Summary: For years, not a single dragon had appeared in the sky. To most of humankind, this was a good sign. However, this false sense of peace will be uprooted by a certain prophecy that involves two dragon slayers, which inevitably will cause more destruction than good. It will be up to the two and their close friendship in order for the kingdom of Fiore to see another day.
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone! Though I'm relatively new here, I thought that I'd be able to express myself through writing and what better way than to write a story based on Fairy Tail! This story will take place about 4 years after the main story, and the main characters will be Natsu and a teenage Wendy. Though I'm really excited to start this project, I feel that I wont be able to update regularly. So for now, here's the prologue to my fan fiction, "The Dragon Slayer Prophecy"!**

**Note: I do not own Fairy Tail nor any of its characters. All rights go the Hiro Mashima.**

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**The Dragon Slayer Prophecy**

**Prologue:**

Long ago, the kingdom of Fiore faced a problem that threatened to bring about the end of humankind. That problem was the dragons, fierce mystical creatures that brought nothing but fear and destruction. Mages (humans with magical power) were often at war with the dragons, fighting for the safety of the villages. However, no matter how hard they try, the result was the same: the complete destruction of a village and its inhabitants.

In more recent times, certain dragons turned to the side of the light, and started adopting human children. These children learned an ancient magic, used by the dragons that caused much turmoil back in the old days. However, the purpose was not to bring about another age of dragon wars, but to prevent such wars from happening. These children are the Dragon Slayers.

However, 10 years ago, those dragons mysteriously vanished, leaving their children to fend on their own against a society that despises dragons. Despite many hardships, three of those children were eventually brought in by a magical guild called Fairy Tail. This guild was notorious for the destruction they cause during quests, and even more famous for their sense of hospitality. Through time, each of the three dragon slayers found their own purpose in life, and they strive to live life to its fullest extent.

Little did they know what was about to come in the future. It involves a prophecy involving two certain dragon slayers, Natsu Dragneel and myself. This prophecy could change the course of humankind for better or for worse. Yet, such disastrous consequences are inevitable.

My name is Wendy Marvell, and this is my story…


	2. Chapter 1: A Typical Day

**Hey everyone, I managed to finish the first chapter a lot quicker than I expected. However, the downside to rushing your work which involve a lot of mistakes, so please review. Thanks so much!**

**Note: I do not own Fairy Tail nor any of its characters. All rights go the Hiro Mashima.**

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**Chapter 1: A Typical Day**

We were walking along the main road of Magnolia, all rather exhausted from that month-long S-Class quest Erza made us all go on. It seemed as if only she and Natsu had any energy left over after that ordeal.

"Man, that last quest was so exciting that I'm all fired up!"

_Natsu Dragneel, age 22. Also known as Salamander, he represents the pride and joy of Fairy Tail. Being a Fire Dragon Slayer, Natsu is able to use a variety of fire-based spells along with his physical attacks in combat. Sure, though he's technically an adult, he doesn't behave like one in any which way. Maybe that's one of the reasons I have a little crush on him…_

"Aye sir! I can't wait to go on another one so that we can earn more money for fish!"

_Happy is Natsu's Exceed partner and best friend. As with most Exceeds, he has the ability to sprout wings on his back and fly. Though I like the fact that he's optimistic about most things, he and Natsu are almost inseparable. I mean, you can't even get one chance to talk to Natsu alone without Happy butting in, and he's a horrible tattletale! _

"You still have the guts to think about fish! What about my rent? We were only paid half the reward because you guys had to go all out and wreck the whole place!"

_Lucy Heartfilia, age 21. She's a celestial spirit mage who can summon various spirits in battle. Recently, she acquired the last 2 of the 12 Zodiac gate keys from Yukino, another celestial spirit mage. She's someone I look up to in terms of her looks and friendly personality. Still, I kind of envy her because Natsu spends most of his time with her..._

"Hey, calm down would ya? It's not like you weren't responsible for some of the property damage. I couldn't care less about the infrastructure of that town."

_Gray Fullbuster, age 22. He's an ice mage who can create literally thousands of hard ice constructs using his magic energy alone. He also has a bad habit of stripping, something I still haven't gotten used to yet… _

"Lucy, you shouldn't be only concerned about the reward, it's the experience that counts. This will come exceptionally useful if you ever want to pass the next S-Class exam!"

_Erza Scarlet, age 23. Also know as Titania, she's one of Fairy Tail's S-Class mages. Her Requip magic allows her to use various armor and weaponry from different dimensions on the fly. Though at times she seems intimidating, she does have a soft side and is a very caring mother figure. _

"Wendy, you seem awfully quiet. Is something the matter?"

_Carl is my Exceed partner and childhood friend. We literally grew up together, though I am technically older than her, she always has that higher sense of authority over me. I always depend of Carla for support, even though she often scolds me for not growing up fast enough. Though, in more recent days, her personality seemed to be much gentler now. _

"Nothing Carla, I-I-I had a great time!" I smiled at her. Even though I'm 16 now, I still can't get over the fact that I tend to be nervous when talking to people.

Before long, we arrived at Fairy Tail. The guild hall has gone through yet another set of renovations, and is looking better than ever. It felt like the first time Carla and I arrived here under Erza's invitation. That day brought back so many good memories. When the whole guild threw a party after Carla and I were officially accepted into the guild, when Erza comforted me when I lost my old guild Caitshelter, when Natsu went through everything to keep his promise of protecting my former guild, _Natsu…_

"Hey Wendy, is something wrong?"

"Kya!" I screamed. I realized I dozed off at one of the tables and Natsu's face was only a few inches from mine. Just when I was recovering, Erza picked up Natsu by the collar of his vest and started yelling in his ear.

"HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT? DON'T YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT PERSONAL SPACE?"

Lucy, who was nearby, sweat dropped. "It's not like you know any better…"

"No, no, everything's fine! I was just startled, that's all!" I pleaded, trying to ease the tension that was being generated by the atmosphere.

"That still doesn't cover for the fact Natsu needs to learn a bit more about respect! I will have order around here!"

You see, ever since Master Makarov gave Erza the temporary title of "Deputy Guild Master", she's been trying to maintain her idea of "order", most of which involve her giving a pep talk about "proper etiquette", something she has yet to accomplish herself.

"Why don't I help Erza? I'll knock some sense into that lame-brained pyro for ya!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY ICE-FREAK? YOU WANNA GO PAL?"

"BRING IT ON LIZARD BREATH!"

And then a fight broke out. To make matters worse, rather than stop the fight, Erza joined in. It was a lot tougher for her to stop guild fights nowadays, as Natsu and Gray both have gotten much stronger in the past few years. To add to the excitement, Elfman charged headfirst into the brawl, shouting something that had to do with being a man.

"Don't they ever learn Wendy-chan? They'll never be able mature unless they act like the adults they should be."

"I don't really mind Lucy-san. I think the guild's more fun this way."

Lucy and I sat at the bar, each sipping a glass of Mira's famous fruit milkshakes. I have to say, Mira is full of surprises when it comes to food and drink. Off at the other end of the table, Happy and Carla were sharing a plate of fish. They seemed to be having a good time. It was last year that Carla finally accepted Happy's feelings for her, and the Exceeds started spending more time together. Sometimes, I wish that I could be like that; being happy with the person I like the most.

All of a sudden, the lights in the guild hall went out.

"Huh? What's going on?" Erza ended the fight by knocking Natsu, Gray, and Elfman's heads together.

All of a sudden, a pillar of light appeared out of nowhere through the middle of the hall, revealing a man. He was wearing a tuxedo, all battered and ripped, with a mane of orange hair and glasses askew. He was bruised all over, yet he was trying to stand his ground.

"Loke?"

"Lucy, I have to warn you, I have to warn everyone…" Loke collapsed on the floor.

"LOKE!" Everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed to Loke's aid.


	3. Chapter 2: Trouble Awakens

**All right, the second chapter is completed! As you can tell, this fic will primarily be a Natsu x Wendy story. I felt that this pairing wasn't really getting much love out here in the fandom world, so I felt that I could contribute some. Anyways, as usual, please review! Thanks!**

**Note: I do not own Fairy Tail nor any of its characters. All rights go the Hiro Mashima.**

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**Chapter 2: Trouble Awakens**

Most of the guild's prominent members were gathered around Loke as I worked my healing magic on him. Normally, I would be able heal someone instantly after the training I had with Porlyusica. However, this was a celestial spirit that I was working with, and his magical anatomy is much different from regular mages.

"Loke, whatever happened to you?" Lucy was worried sick. Out of all her celestial spirits, Lucy has grown really close to Loke, ever since the incident between her, Loke, and the celestial spirit king, as I recall Erza telling me.

Natsu was standing next to me with a serious look on his face. He's always had that intimidating look when any one of his friends were hurt, whether they were close friends or not.

"Whoever done this to you Loke, I swear I'll make them pay…" Natsu muttered under his breath.

It was at this moment that Loke came to. Coughing rather harshly, he tried to sit up.

"Take it easy, you don't want to damage your body any further." Erza placed her hand on Loke's shoulder. "Take your time and tell us what happened."

I've never seen Loke look so terrible. Usually, he was his old, upbeat self, often trying the flirt with Lucy everytime she summoned him in battle. Now, he looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"The celestial spirit world, my home, dragons attacking…"

Dragons? A sudden twinge of fear struck my heart. Our last encounter with dragons was when a future Rogue Cheney tried to release them into our time using the Eclipse Gate. Those dragons were nothing like Grandine, I saw nothing but pure evil in their malicious eyes. It took the combined strength of all 12 zodiac celestial spirits, along with Lucy and Yukino's magical power to close that gate for good.

Natsu and Gajeel both cringed. It was only a few years ago that all dragon slayers in Fiore banded together to deal with the oncoming dragon threat. Though the original idea of dragon slayer magic was to prevent dragon wars from happening again, we found that it was much more difficult than what was expected of our magical abilities.

"I struggled to gather all your spirits before they were taken captive Lucy, I really tried to protect everyone, I didn't want…"

"Please, say no more." Lucy went up to Loke and pulled him into a tight embrace. She allowed her celestial spirit companion to weep freely into her shoulder. "Would everyone please mind leaving us alone for a while? I might be able to calm him down before being able to gather more information."

At that request, I followed everyone else back into the guild hall. As I walked, I pondered over the comment Loke made about dragons. Was it possible that they still existed even in this time? Grandine, Igneel, and Metalicana were exceptions to that, but what did they have to do with this? I'm pretty sure Natsu and Gajeel are thinking the same.

"Well, it's getting late. There isn't really much we can do right now. I suggest we go home and wait until Lucy is able to get any information from Loke." Erza then left the guild hall, followed by the others. After a while, there was nobody left but Natsu and myself.

"I don't like the sound of this." Natsu said under gritted teeth.

Natsu, it hurts me just as much to see you like this. Ever since the disappearance of our foster dragon parents, we've searched tirelessly for their whereabouts, only to encounter dragons bent upon the destruction of the world. If only I could do something to ease up your soul…

I approached Natsu cautiously and reached out to grab his hand.

"Wendy," Natsu turned my way as I jerked my hand back. "Do me a favour and watch over Lucy for me. Since the Celestial world or whatever place was attacked, Lucy's magic will not be as effective from now on."

"Huh?" My heart dropped. I didn't know what to say. Here I was trying to comfort Natsu, only for him to be more concerned about Lucy. I know I shouldn't be carrying grudges over petty things like this, but I can't help it. It hurts me just thinking about how Natsu cares for Lucy more than anyone else in the guild.

Fighting back a tear, I nodded, "Alright, Natsu-san… I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

I made my way to the door. While looking back, I saw Natsu keeping his eyes locked on the infirmary door, nonetheless waiting for Lucy to come out. I sighed, and then headed back to Fairy Hills.

After being scolded by the landlady for being up past curfew ("_Children shouldn't be up at this hour! Go to your room at once!"_), I went to my room as told and got ready for bed. Carla was already asleep in the bed beside me, probably dreaming about what she and Happy will be doing tomorrow. It was then I remembered about Carla's precognitive ability. I wanted to know what was going to happen after today's events. I was just about the wake her up when I decided that it wasn't worth it. I was being selfish not to care about what was going on with the people around me.

However, I do care about someone, and that someone was one of the reasons I was able to live through the many hardships of life and growing up. I just wished that he felt the same way as me, not just treating me as a friend, but something more…

I was thinking to hard. Maybe I should just get some rest and then find out what tomorrow has in store for us.


	4. Chapter 3: A World of Despair

**Well, here we are! The 3rd chapter of The Dragon Slayer Prophecy. Thank you for those who reviewed my previous chapters. I'm glad that there are other Natsu x Wendy shippers out there. Under the suggestion of treeofsakuras, I ended up writing up a longer chapter this time, though it may not be long enough to be considered long...LOL. Anyways, in this chapter, I experimented with writing for battle scenarios, which was both cheesy and hard at the same time. So, please continue sending reviews in, and I'll try to keep up with more chapters. Thanks!**

**Note: I do not own Fairy Tail nor any of its characters. All rights go the Hiro Mashima.**

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**Chapter 3: A World of Despair**

The next morning, I got up and found that Carla had already left. _That's strange_, I thought to myself, _doesn't she usually greet me every morning with her usual lecture of not getting into trouble?_ I know that she and Happy are in a relationship now, but does it really call for meeting each other this early in the morning?

_Oh well, I guess she finally thinks that I'm old enough to handle things on my own once in a while_. I got dressed, had myself a light breakfast, and then walked out of my door. However, the usual lighted hallway turned out to be dim this morning. Normally, the landlady would be the first to wake up, lighting up all the magical candles that illuminated the hallway.

As I began to wonder what was going on, I decided to go visit Erza. I wanted to know what her thoughts were on the incident with Loke the day before. Slowly, I made my way to her room, only to hear a piercing scream from the other side of the hall. It was coming from Levy's room!

"Levy-san!" How could I not sense this before? Usually, my dragon instincts were able to tell whether trouble was around me, but somehow it slipped right past my senses. What in the world is going on?

I rushed into Levy's room just in time to find her in the sitting on the middle of the floor. I was quite surprised at what I saw: books scattered across the floor and ripped to shreds, bookcases knocked over, wallpaper peeling off as if they were clawed at… Wait, claws?

"Levy-san! Are you okay? What happened here?"

The next thing I knew, Levy turned around to look at me with a completely different aura emanating out of her. This was one of few times in which she gets really angry, most of the time was because of Gajeel. However, this was the first time I've ever seen her like this, and it was almost as if the aura surrounding her was evil.

"You did this, didn't you dragon girl?"

"I… what?" All of a sudden, Levy fired a Solid Script: Flame spell at me. Instinctively, I dodged the attack and assumed a fighting stance. "Levy-san, I don't know what happed, but I swear I didn't do this to your room!"

"A likely story! Hah! I could laugh my head off!" Levy was looking more and more deranged by the second. "Aren't all of you dragons bent on the path of destruction? Isn't that reason enough for me to put the blame on you? I'll bury you!" **_"SOLID SCRIPT: HOLE!"_**

A crack appeared on the floor beneath me. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to jump out of the way in time. I fell about two floors down and crash-landed into the desk in the lobby area.

_What was going on? Something's not right. I have to go warn everyone at the guild!_ As I ran toward the exit, I found my path blocked by Levy's Solid Script: Iron spell. Levy stood behind me, cackling like a mad-woman. It was enough to make Erza seem less scary…

"You're not going anywhere dragon girl, I'm gonna get payback, even if it means your life!"

"Don't call me that! I'm Wendy, your guildmate, your friend! Don't you remember?" I tried my best to reason with Levy, but she easily shot down my every attempt to calm her down.

"Wendy? Never heard of her. Is that a name for a prostitute?" Levy continued to laugh manically.

_I couldn't believe it. Levy-san doesn't remember me? Also, she keeps calling me dragon girl and compared me to a prostitute! Someone must have used some sort of magic to manipulate her memories. If I could knock her out somehow…_

"I'm sorry, Levy-san. **_TENRYU NO HOKOU!_**_" _(Sky Dragon's Roar)

I sent a massive tornado toward Levy, which lifted her off her feet and smashed her against the wall. A trickle of blood oozed down her forehead. I carefully walked toward her and stared. _I didn't mean to go overboard! I couldn't think of any way! Someone help me!_

I quickly tried to use my healing spell on a barely conscious Levy. However, I could sense that her pulse was dropping at a fast rate, and that there was no memory manipulation cast on her. _How could that be? Please be okay, Levy-san, I don't want you to die!_

However, I felt that my magic was failing me. Levy's pulse rate stopped. In her dying breath, she managed to utter, "You shall be forever cursed, dragon girl…"

_No! _I couldn't believe the outcome of this battle. _How could something like this have happened? Levy-san, what am I going to tell everyone? _

Tears flowed out of my cheeks as I tried to carry Levy and headed toward the guild. I really didn't know what to say, that it was an accident? Also, what made her act in that way? Various questions were pounding in my head when I walked through the front door.

The first thing I noticed was that just like at Fairy Hills, the guild hall was unusually dim. It was as if the whole place had been completely abandoned. Then, out of nowhere, I heard a voice.

"We've been waiting for you, dragon girl."

_Oh no,_ I thought, _it seems like it wasn't only Levy-san who was affected. _Slowly, the lights came on one by one, revealing every member of Fairy Tail, all staring at me menacingly with the same evil aura as Levy's emanating out of them.

"It's time to bring an end to the menace that has been threatening humankind."

"There's no place in this world for dragons."

"Be gone, you insolent monster!"

"A real man doesn't give any pity to a stupid creature!"

I was shocked. Here I was, trying to find the support I needed after my encounter with Levy. Now, everyone seemed to be against me. I was surrounded, with no chance to escape.

"Please, everyone, tell me what's going on? I don't want to fight you guys!"

"Levy…"

I turned and saw Gajeel looking not at me, but at the body I was carrying. He dropped to his knees and turned, pointing his fist at me.

"YOU KILLED LEVY YOU DAMNED DRAGON! **_TETSURYUKON!_**" (Iron Dragon's Club)

_What?_ I quickly cast Vernier on myself to dodge Gajeel's attack. _Isn't Gajeel-san a dragon slayer as well? Why is everyone treating me like I'm the only dragon around here?_

"All forces, full scale assault! Don't let the dragon come out alive!"

_Lucy-san?_ I wondered why she was the one taking command. _Shouldn't Erza-san be the leader? Where is she anyway?_

**_TENRYU NO YOKUGEKI!_**(Sky Dragon's Wing Attack). I sent two waves of wind against Gray, Loke, and Elfman, all of whom were trying to land a punch on me.

"You're not getting away that's easily." All of a sudden, Jet dashed right in front of me and delivered a kick to my stomach. I doubled over, winded and in pain, until Droy followed up with a vine attack, which whipped me and sent me flying towards a wall. I cast Armor on myself to reduce the impact.

"I've got you now!" Lucy yelled in determination. She summoned Taurus, Cancer, Sagittarius, and Scorpio all at once. They all surrounded me, preparing to attack.

I countered with a new technique I learned over the past few years. **"****_TENRYU NO TATSUMAKI SENPUUKYAKU! _**(Sky Dragon's Whirlwind Hurricane Kick). I started spinning on one spot, with one leg extended, while producing a tornado around myself, sending the celestial spirits flying in different directions.

"Damn you… Cana! Attack now!"

Cana came in from above, sending thousands of cards flying toward me. With Vernier, I was able to dodge most of them. However, the remaining cards lashed out at me, leaving deep cuts against my skin. I cried out in pain and stood rooted to the spot, only to be the target of Mirajane's Darkness Wave attack. I was sent flying towards the bar, crashing into the storage shelves. However, that wasn't even the end of the assault, Happy and Carla came by and lifted me up and used their Max Speed rammed me up into the ceiling. As I fell, Pantherlily transformed into his battle form and stomped on top of me.

"Gah!" I ended up coughing out blood. As I lay on the floor, the three exceeds stood over top of me, staring at me like I was a member of a dark guild. What really bothered me was how Carla was now treating me as an enemy. _My best friend out of all people…._

"Carla! Don't you remember me? We're friends! We grew up together! Don't tell me you're…"

"Shut up, you little wench!" Gajeel lifted me up by the hair and pulled me close to his face. "You killed Levy! I will not let you hurt another human again, dragon girl!"

"But Gajeel-san, aren't you a dragon slayer too?" I managed to ask weakly.

"Ha! Of course I'm a dragon slayer! I wouldn't say the same about you though. Have a look." Gajeel dragged me in front of a mirror in which Reedus just painted.

When I saw my reflection, I couldn't believe my eyes! Instead of the body of a 16-year old teenage girl, the mirror showed a humanoid dragon figure, with scaly skin and mangled hair. I even had a snout for a nose! It was much too embarrassing to describe.

Gajeel then threw me to the centre of the hall, where all guild members sans Erza gathered. Lucy walked up to me. "Any last words before we exterminate you?"

_I can't believe this. Is this the end for me? Backstabbed by my friends who I considered a family? I cried, hoping that one man would come, that man who I cared deeply about, he'll save me…_

"NATSU-SAN!"

At that moment, Natsu appeared, breaking through the ceiling and landing right in front of me. He had a dangerous look on his face, like he was about to murder someone.

"You okay Wendy?" Natsu said out of the corner of his mouth.

"H-H-Hai!" I stuttered. As much as I admired how Natsu arrived to save me, I have yet to figure out why he was the only one who remember me, and why the guild seemed to detest the two of us.

"Perfect timing. Too bad this time will be your last. ERZA! NOW!"

Natsu and I looked behind us. There was Erza, up on the second floor, in her Heaven's Wheel armor, charging what seemed like a giant energized sword. It was aiming directly at Natsu.

"Farewell, dragon beast. **_HEAVEN'S WHEEL: TRINITY SWORD EXECUTION!_**"

Everything happened in a flash. Erza threw the sword down and hit Natsu squarely in the chest. He stood there, eyes wide in shock, while his blood splattered across my face. I couldn't do anything as I watched the man I admired fall to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Wendy…" Natsu collapsed on the ground, breathless, without moving a muscle.

It felt like a horrible dream. I never felt a sensation like this. It was complete despair, something no one in Fiore would ever be able to bear. For the first time in my life, I felt true anger. I stared up at Lucy, who smirked and said, "Well that made quick work of him. Too bad for you."

I screamed. A sudden powerful aura burst out of my body, revealing a holographic wind projection of a dragon. I felt as though I could do anything in the world, even kill to achieve my goals…

_Humans. Mages. I despise them, I loathe them. I want to kill…_

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"Wendy, WENDY! WAKE UP!"

"Huh, what time is it?"

I wasn't in the guild hall anymore, but the warmth of my bed in my room at Fairy Hills. The person who was yelling my name was none other than Carla, who looked worried enough to cry. Then I realized that the whole thing was only a nightmare, and that I was crying through the duration of it.

Carla was on the verge of tears. "What happened? Please don't tell me you had a bad dream! I'll never forgive myself if I let you down under my care…"

I sat up and hugged Carla. She was my best friend, and it was painful seeing her worried sick about me. "It's okay Carla, it was only a dream. I'm sure it'll never happen again."

"That's good Wendy. I only want to see you happy." Carla returned my hug and we stayed there for a long time.

Little did I know that the dream was only the start of a series of events that will put me at the centre of everything…


	5. Chapter 4: A Special Day

**Here's another chapter of The Dragon Slayer Prophecy! This chapter took a while longer to write, mainly due to this writer's block I'm having now, and it hurts... **

**Anyways, I'm always finding this story hard to write mainly because I doing it from Wendy's POV, which is difficult, given the fact that I'm a guy. However, I still manage, and I hope to continue writing some more chapters!**

**I might be taking a break from this story in order to write a one-shot idea I had featuring Gray and Juvia, but it won't be light and fluffy, but more of a tragedy. Until then, please review. Thanks! **

**Note: I do not own Fairy Tail nor any of its characters. All rights go the Hiro Mashima.**

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**Chapter 4: A Special Day**

After having breakfast with Carla, we did our usual routine of walking towards Fairy Tail when I suddenly had an idea. I turned and ran through the marketplace, dragging Carla with me. Ignoring the bewilderment and confusion of my best friend, I came to the entrance of Fiore's most famous accessory shop, Magical Mage Makeover.

"Remember all those jewels I've been saving up? This is where I want to spend some of it!" I was so excited that everything else seemed to be unimportant at the moment.

"Huh, what are you saying child? I thought all that was for that special day… Wait, is today that special day?" Carla had caught on to what I was saying, today was a special day. Her eyes were just as sparkly as mine were. I was not going to let anyone ruin this special day.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get you dressed up!" This time it was Carla's turn to drag me as we rushed into the store. Inside, it was as if in a teenage girl's fantasy world. Dresses of all sorts, fashion accessories, do-it-yourself make-up kits, it almost felt like I was in heaven…

However, I decided to go with a simple red dress, not too revealing and not too stiff, with a matching white sweater over top. Carla fussed over me, saying that I should really open up my mind to different styles, but from my experience with the guild, not very many people tend to be attracted by looks. It's the fact that people in the guild have been friends for a long time and cannot be bothered by how someone looks. Natsu in particular once mentioned, "I don't really care what you look like, but as long as you're a friend, that's good enough for me!"

Then again, since this was a special day, I spent a long time looking through the accessories section, trying to look for that special item that has been on the store's display shelf for a long time. It was a rather unique, sweet-smelling flower that reminded me of Grandine back in my childhood years. It was white, with a special design that radiated with a sense of power and beauty at the same time. After asking the assistant in the area, I finally got my hands on one, and luckily it was the last one they had in store. After paying for everything, I pinned the flower right next to my left ear in my hair, while admiring myself in a nearby mirror. Carla couldn't help but giggle.

"Sometimes, it really is better to be young again, does it Wendy? Come on, we have a whole day ahead of us!"

Both of us, excited for the day coming up ahead, burst into the guild hall with high spirits.

"Good morning everyone, how are you all doing today?"

"Good morning, Wendy-chan! You look rather cheerful today!" Levy looked up from her book to give me a warm smile and a wave.

_Thank goodness,_ I thought to myself, _Levy-san isn't dead. Wait, why am I thinking about my nightmare? I should just burn it out of my mind…_

Regaining my composure, I approached Levy. "What new book are you reading this time?"

"Oh, it's nothing much. It's a children's story about the 12 Zodiac spirits. I'm helping figure out what went wrong with Loke in the celestial spirit world, but this book doesn't seem to be helping at all…"

_That's right,_ I thought,_ I forgot about Loke-san! _ Thoughts about my special day were temporarily erased. "Do you know where he is? How is Lucy-san doing?"

"Oh, they're doing fine, Loke got over his stupor and seems to be adjusting fine. Just look at him over there!"

At a table near the request board, Loke, in his reverted human form, was surrounded by his usual band of girlfriends.

"Welcome back Loke-sama!"

"We missed you so much! Why did you leave us?"

"Marry me Loke-sama!"

I sweat-dropped, shaking my head at the scene in front of me. Yesterday, Loke was in a state of nervous breakdown. Now, he's back to his usual self? Lucy then walked by, looking rather sleepy, with Natsu and Erza following her.

"Man, how could he do this to me? I was up all night trying to comfort him, and now here he is, back to his old obnoxious self! And to make things worse, why did Natsu have to appear in my room again?"

"You've have a lot of explaining to do Natsu." Erza glared at him with menacing eyes.

"Uh, what was I doing again? Yeah, I was worried about Lucy, so Happy and I decided to wait for her outside the infirmary. When she didn't come out, we decided to wait for her at her apartment. It wasn't too long before we fell asleep on her bed…"

"YOU IDIOT!" Within seconds, Natsu was thrown against the wall.

I couldn't help but laugh at his antics. Natsu will never be able to change, though I feel a little twinge of jealousy. Why doesn't he ever come and visit me? We're allowed visitors at Fairy Hills, aren't we?

"Anyways, what happened between you and Loke-san?"

"He mentioned something about a prophecy he overheard. The part about the celestial spirit world being attacked was true, and he was able to store the essences of my celestial spirits into my keys. Though, he wouldn't say anything about the dragons…"

"Oh, okay then." I thought I would be able to make a connection between what happened yesterday with the nightmare I had. I quickly changed the subject and said, "Are we going anywhere special today?"

"What makes you think that? Is that why you're dressed up today?" Erza asked.

"There's supposed to be a special occasion? Why haven't I heard of this?" Gray joined our group, fresh out of a fight between him and Elfman. ("REAL MEN DON'T JUST WALK OUT OF FIGHTS CASUALLY!)

Carla seemed annoyed. "How could you all forget? Today's Wendy's special…"

"CARLA!" Happy jumped out of nowhere and landed on top of Carla. "You missed me, didn't you? I know you do, I KNOW YOU DO!"

"Was there supposed to be something special today?" Lucy wondered out loud.

"I don't know, but let's go on another quest!" Natsu exclaimed.

_I don't believe this_, I thought, _how could they have forgotten? After all, it was my special day, and it meant everything…_

"Come here and take your pick Wendy!"

Natsu pulled my hand and led me to the request board. He looked at me with his usual goofy grin. "How about it? It's been a while since you got to choose!"

_Well, I guess I'm all right with it_, I thought to myself, _as long as I have Natsu-san to spend time with me, then I'll be just as happy…_

"Um, why don't we do this one? It seems pretty fun."

_Collect rare herbs from the mountains so I can concoct a potion that cures ailments. Reward: 5000 jewels. Suggestion: Needs at least 2 or more participants, as the different herbs are scattered all around the area._

"Aw, come on! I really thought you were going to pick one that involved fighting! Oh well, it was your pick today, so let's do it then!"

"Thank you Natsu-san, but is it okay if I ask for another teensy little favour?" I stared at him with my puppy-dog eyes, something which I have been working on this past month.

"Um, sure Wendy, what would you like?" Through the confusion of things, Natsu seemed both flustered and confused, but still smiling at the same time. _Yes, it worked! _I made a mental note to myself.

"Is it o-o-okay for us to, you know, t-t-take this request on o-o-our own? Just the t-t-two of us?"

_Oh, why did I have to be nervous now! I was on a roll here!_

"Huh, Wendy? That's an odd request, but sure, I'll accept that, I think?"

_Yes, I did it! _I heart did a little flip-flop. _Now I can enjoy my special day with Natsu-san…_

"Hold on, doesn't it say 2 or more participants?" Gray leaned over my shoulder to look at the request.

"The mountains huh, aren't they a little dangerous at this time of year?" Lucy also came over to see the request.

"All the better for all of us to go," Erza exclaimed. "Happy, Carla, you coming?"

"Aye!" Both of the Exceeds flew over to join the group. Carla looked embarrassed after her scuffle with Happy, though she looked at me with a "Guess you should just go with it" kind of look.

_A few hours later…_

I found myself teaming up with Gray and Erza, trying to locate the first group of mysterious herbs, while Natsu, Lucy, and the Exceeds were tasked with finding the other group. _This did not turn out as planned…_

"Um, Gray-san, your p-p-pants…" _I can't believe he did it again…_

"What was that?" Gray then looked down. "GAH!"

"You took them off just a minute ago! Don't you have any sense of dignity? We have Wendy-chan with us here!"

"Sorry, sorry, sorry…" Gray stuttered while putting his pants back on. I was getting redder and redder by the minute.

The quest didn't turn out to be as peaceful as I anticipated. The herbs themselves were just as dangerous as the creatures guarding them. The creatures were perverted gorillas who took whatever chance they had at looking under my dress. Gray then went overboard and cast an Ice Make: Hammer spell over top of the herbs, which suddenly sprang to life and spat boiling hot oil at us. We all ended up getting pretty severe burns, most of which I was able to heal within seconds.

As we managed to get enough herbs for the client, we met up with others at the base of the mountain. Lucy seemed to be having the time of her life. Happy and Carla flew around in circles over top of her, without a care in the world. Only Natsu seemed dissatisfied.

"I can't believe how easy that was! There was an abundance of herbs laying neatly in rows; we just had to pick up as many as was required! Thank you Wendy, that was to most relaxing quest I've ever been on in ages…What happened to you three?" Lucy stared at our visible boils. Sure, I was able to relieve the pain, but I wasn't able to remove the marks on our bodies and it would take a while for my magic to take effect.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Gray yelled as Natsu snickered behind Lucy.

"Oh, well it looks like I got lucky this time! I'll bet my luck will continue when I show the client the herbs first. I'll race you all!" Lucy winked before running back to meet the client, with Happy and Carla following her.

"Hey, no fair!" Gray yelled after her as he and Erza gave chase. Only Natsu and I were left at the base of the mountain, but I couldn't care anymore. My special day was ruined.

_How could they all forget? How could they? After all I've been through!_

_ And Natsu-san, why? Out of all members of the guild you were supposed to remember!_

"So Wendy, are you okay? You seem pretty beat up. Here, let me help you out."

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

With all the strength I had left in me, I struck Natsu across the face. Tears were pouring out of my face like waterfalls. I couldn't hold back anymore.

"HOW COULD YOU FORGET ABOUT MY BIRTHDAY NATSU-SAN? HOW COULD EVERYONE FORGET? I HATE YOU! I HATE ALL OF YOU!"

With that statement, I ran as fast as I could, away from a bewildered Natsu, away from the rest of my team, who looked just as confused, and away from Carla, who tried to call me back, but I ignored her.

I ran through the marketplace, past the guild, through the front entrance of Fairy Hills (ignoring the ranting landlady), right into my room and straight to bed. I cried for what seemed to be for hours. I heard several knocks at my door from people who seemed to be concerned for me, but I didn't care what they thought of me. I just stayed in my bed, trapped in my own lonesome world.

Well, I have to say that today really isn't my birthday, as I don't remember the day when I was born. The only reason why this day is important was because it was the day I first met Grandine, so technically I was born then. Grandine would tell me how old I was every year on that same day, and take me on a special flight over the Fiore countryside. It was one of the many memorable moments in my life.

During my time in Caitshelter, Robaul would go head-over-heels the make sure every birthday was considered the best day in my life. He would make all the villagers worship me as their queen, and throw a huge tribal party in which I was the centre of attention.

However, when I moved to Fairy Tail, no one knew about my birthday. I hadn't bothered trying to tell anyone until Natsu asked about it. From then on, my next four birthdays were both fun-filled and enjoyable. Natsu took it upon himself to make sure I was getting what I wanted for my birthday. One of those moments was during my 13th, when Natsu actually stole a whole dining hall and set everything up neatly and accordingly in the guild hall, something that was very un-Natsu-like. We were enjoying ourselves for hours until the Magic Council found out, and the guild had to pay a hefty fine, much to Master Makarov's despair. Seeing as how that didn't work out, Natsu conducted a personal fireworks display using his fire, a tradition he continued to uphold until now.

It was early in the evening when a letter was slid under my door. As much as I wanted to stay in bed for the rest of the day, my curiosity got the better of me. It was a messy handwritten note:

"Come to guild hall. Deputy Master (ERZA) unhappy. All members go."

I didn't want to go to some stupid lecture Erza was going to deliver, but since I respect her, I might as well. I changed to my regular attire and made my way to the guild.

When I entered, the hall was completely pitch-black. Then, I realized that the exact same thing happened in my dream the other day. Scared, I tried to turn back, only for the doors to be locked shut behind me.

"What do you want from me? I don't want to hurt anyone! I…"

"SURPRISE! HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY WENDY-CHAN!"

Indeed, I was surprised. Instead of the all-familiar guild hall I grew accustomed to, I was standing at the back row of a theatre, with the whole guild standing facing me onstage. All were waving at me cheerfully. Cana then threw out a card, which expanded into a giant, floating screen, revealing Master Makarov and the Raijinshuu, who greeted me the same.

"Master, Laxus-san, aren't you all still on your training journey? I'm sorry for bothering you…"

"Don't you worry, dear child, for we wouldn't miss the coming of age of every member of this guild," came Fried's reply.

"You're 17 now, congratulations!" said Evergreen. "Maybe I can teach you a few womanly mannerisms…heehee…"

"WOOHOO! 17 is the age to be!" shouted Bickslow."Party all day, people!"

"You made it kid, congrats," said Laxus. "Sorry, I'm not good with this kind of thing…"

"As master of this guild, and on behalf of all of Fairy Tail, I would like to grant you, Wendy Marvell, the best birthday celebration ever! Let the festivities begin!" Master Makarov then snapped his fingers.

With that, Elfman appeared behind me in his Beast Soul Take-Over, lifted me on his back, and carried me around the theatre, shouting, "Our little sky dragon slayer has all grown up! It's a man!"

Lisanna suddenly leaped towards me, but instead of crashing into me, she did an Animal Soul Take-Over and transformed into a cute little bunny! She landed right on my shoulder and whispered into my ear, "Elf-nii and I are going to take you to your special reserved seat. That way, you'll be able to enjoy the rest of the show!" She then turned into a giant bird, lifted me at the shoulders, and placed me into a throne-like seat that was conjured by Reedus.

"I hope you like fireworks Wendy-neesan! They're so pretty!" Asuka came to sit on my lap, while her parents, Alzack and Bisca, started firing their guns to signal the start of the show.

Macao, Wakaba, and Romeo used their fire and smoke magic to make various dancing illustrations come to life. The smoke and fire then came together to form a picture of me, while Levy and Droy suddenly made flowers and vines appear out of nowhere, surrounding me with the familiar scent of the flower accessory I bought a while earlier.

Next, Mirajane appeared onstage and sang a birthday song of her own creation, with Gray and Juvia conjuring ice and water sculptures around her. Erza then Requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor slashed at the sculpture, which revealed the message, "Happy 17th Wendy!"

Gajeel then replaced Mirajane, with his white suit and guitar, and broke into one of his "Shooby Doo Bop" songs. I could say that he's improved over the years, but I can't help but sweat-drop because of the way he looked.

What was even more interesting was that Lucy, along with Loke, appeared to be dancing onstage in rhythm with Gajeel's song. And in bunny suits? Where did Lucy get the courage to do that? However, she seemed to be having a good time, and she winked at me once she got into her final pose with Loke.

"You enjoying yourself here, Wendy-san?" Jet suddenly appeared at my side with a plate of crackers and a glass of orange juice. "Just you wait, the best part is coming!"

The lights on the centre stage went out. Before I was about to make out what was going on, a brilliantly orange-coloured flame appeared right in front of me. Natsu then leapt on stage, and performed his special fireworks display that I've come to know so well. I was so intrigued and captivated by his performance that all else seemed to vanish from my mind.

Happy and Carla appeared by my side. Carla whispered, "I'm sorry we made you go through all that trouble. Happy told me not to tell you or anyone."

"Aye, Natsu wouldn't forget about your birthday, he was trying to keep it a secret from everyone until the time was right. He planned everything last minute! I'm really sorry."

"Well then, apology accepted!" I brought the Exceeds close to me and Asuka and gave everyone a big hug.

When the show was over, all the lights went on, revealing Natsu standing in the centre of the stage, with all the other guild members standing behind him. As usually, he had his well-known, goofy grin etched on his face. "Happy birthday Wendy, you know I wouldn't miss this day for anything."

I was at a loss for words. Never before did I ever feel such happiness, and I felt that this was the happiest I have ever been in my whole life.

"NATSU-SAN!" I sprang from my seat and ran to give Natsu a hug. He felt so warm, almost as gentle as Grandine was whenever she cuddled me. "Thank you, Natsu-san. Thank you everyone…"

That day was one of the most magical days of my life. It was indeed a special day…


	6. Chapter 5: The Request

**Hey everyone, sorry for the late update, as I have been busy this past week. Unfortunately, I have to announce that updates will take a lot longer from now on, as homework and midterm exams keep piling up in my life. So, please review this chapter, and also check out my Gray/Juvia one-shot, Unrequited Love. Thanks!**

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**Note: I do not own Fairy Tail nor any of its characters. All rights go the Hiro Mashima.**

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**Chapter 5: The Request**

"FOR THE SAKE OF BEING A MAN, I SHALL MAN UP AND BRING THE MAN OUT OF ALL OF YOU!"

We watched as Elfman barged into another one of Natsu and Gray's fights. "Seriously, will they ever learn?" Carla commented as she shared her breakfast with Happy. "If that Elfman were to raise a family, I doubt he'll be a good influence toward his offspring."

"Aye, well that's Elfman for you!" Happy agreed. "But when you think about it, Elfman would make a real manly daddy now will we?"

"Happy!" Carla shouted, though she couldn't help but giggle at Happy's snide perception of Elfman's manliness. I only shrugged while Lucy rested her forehead against the palm of her hand. She was clearly disapproving of the men's behaviour as of now.

"Hey Lucy, mind if I sit down?"

Loke took a seat beside Lucy. I guess he was growing tired of his usual group of girlfriends. "Sure, no problem," Lucy didn't look up, "Look, about the incident you had earlier, are you sure you can't remember anything about the dragons? I'm really worried that another dragon apocalypse might happen after that one five years ago."

"No, I'm sorry, my memory is still kind of fogged up," Loke scratched his head. Ever since Loke first appeared at the guild all beaten up, he had lost some of his memory whenever someone asked about what happened to him. "I'm still unable to get back to the spirit world, and yet my guess is that it'll be impossible at this point. Anyway, how is your magic coming along? Are you still able to summon spirits like you used to?"

"Oh right, I almost forgot about that!" Lucy then took out one of her silver keys, "Open! Gate of Canis Minor, Nicolas!"

Plue walked out of the gate he was summoned through, just like how all spirits do when summoned. However, within seconds, Lucy started to feel dizzy, afterwards which she closed the gate and Plue disappeared.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Natsu broke out of his fight with Gray and Elfman to help Lucy stand. I cast my magic over her to relieve her dizziness. "Yeah, I'm fine, thanks Natsu," Lucy stood up and spoke to Loke, "It seems like my celestial spirit magic is still intact, but for now, I think I'm better off by just using Fleuve d'Etoiles. I've learned a few techniques that could be of use in battle."

"That's good, I was worried about you." With that, Loke walked away to go look at the request board. Lucy sighed, "Though he hasn't changed much, I guess that I can tolerate him a little."

"Lucy-san, you shouldn't overexert yourself, you'll just end up hurting yourself more," I was worried that if Lucy were to ever come into harm's way, Natsu would definitely not be the same again. I was reminded of the time when Natsu made me promise to watch over Lucy.

"Thank you Wendy-chan," Lucy replied, "I'll be careful next time."

Suddenly, the atmosphere in the guild hall changed. It seemed as though a dark cloud was summoned from within. Almost immediately, I started to feel drowsy. Before passing out, I was able to see a man walk into the guild, wearing a cloak and bandana. He had a mask on and carried a set of 5 staves on his back. Somehow, he looked really familiar. _Mystogan-san…..?_

"Wendy, Wendy, wake up!"

I came to when I heard Natsu's voice calling my name. Yawning, I asked, "What happened?" Then I saw Natsu's worried look, which made me feel both awkward and scared as well. "How long was I out for?"

"You were asleep for 6 hours," Erza was also looking over me, "Most of us were able to get up after 10 minutes, but how come you were asleep for that long?"

"I really don't know," I scratched my head to think, "Who was it that came in?"

"No one really knows for sure, but that sleep magic felt a lot like Mystogan's. However, we know that's not possible because the Anima portal was closed off years ago."

"Hey guys, check this out!" yelled Gray from the request board, "That guy just placed a request here!"

We all gathered around the request board, and Gray held it out for everyone to read:

_I hereby formally request services from the Fairy Tail guild. I ask of not much, but the assistance of your dragon slayers. Meet me at Kardia Cathedral in one hour. You may not bring anyone else._

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Gray looked disgusted, "I'm not just gonna let anyone fishy ask Natsu for a request, I'm coming along…GRAGH!"

Gray suddenly stumbled from where he was standing, as if he was slashed by an invisible knife. He fell to one knee, wincing in pain. "What the hell was that?"

"Gray-sama, hang in there, Juvia will protect you!"

Everyone looked around to see if there were any perpetrators around. Even with my enhanced senses, we weren't able to trace the scent of any stranger in the guild.

"All right, come out here this instant!" yelled Erza, "I don't know what you're planning, but you can't just take our dragon slayers away without my permission!"

At that moment, Erza seemed to be punched by an invisible fist, which was powerful enough to shatter her Heart Kreuz armor, leaving her in her regular clothes. "Where did that come from?"

"Geehee," Gajeel stood up from where he was eating his pile of scrap metal, "What's there to worry about? The request asked for dragon slayers right? I can just go with Salamander and the kid so that we can beat the crap out of…UGH!"

Surprisingly, Gajeel was lifted off his feet by some unknown force, which made him flip and fall over onto his chest. Why was Gajeel attacked as well? Isn't he also a dragon slayer?

"Everyone look!" Lucy shouted, "The request is writing on itself!"

Surely enough, new words started appearing on the request. This time it read:

_Only the fire and sky dragon slayers may cross my path. No interferences._

"WHAT KIND OF MAN ASKS FOR THAT KIND OF REQUEST? FAIRY TAIL STANDS TOGETHER!" Elfman then barged out the front door, or at least tried to. Once he reached the door, Elfman was knocked back as though there was some invisible force field blocking his way.

"Gah! Runes? What's Freed up to this time? A real man doesn't play dirty tricks like this!"

"Wait, Elfman," Levy walked up to the door and touched it with her hand. She winced and pulled back right away. "These aren't Freed's runes, and he's not even here."

"Then what are you all worried about? We'll take on that request!" Natsu punched his fists together. "It's not like anything bad is gonna happen, right Wendy?"

_Nothing bad is going to happen? How could you think like that Natsu-san? Most of our friends were hurt trying to prevent us from taking that request!_

"Fine then, you may go."

"Erza-san?"

Erza stood up from the spot she was laying in minutes ago. "We'll think of a way to break through these enchantments, but for now, you two have no choice but to accept the request."

"All right! Let's go Wendy!" Natsu grabbed my hand and led me to the door. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed by Natsu's actions. It almost felt like he was finally closing in on me.

"You'll be alright, won't you Wendy?" Carla walked by my side with Happy in tow. She looked extremely worried. Happy, however, looked confident. "Aye, don't you worry Carla, Natsu will definitely protect Wendy through the duration of the quest, right Natsu?"

"Of course I will! What kind of friend wouldn't do that?" Natsu turned to face me with his trademark grin. I felt flustered. I couldn't keep my eyes off him, but I did eventually and then spoke to Carla, "I'll be okay, we're going to be back before you know it!"

"All right, we're counting on you." Erza said.

"You go show them who's boss!" yelled Gray.

"Please come back safe!" said Lucy.

"Dragons…"

I turned around to catch a glimpse of Loke, who was standing in the corner, before Natsu dragged me out the front door. I can't help but wonder if this had anything to do with the dragon's that attacked the celestial spirit world.

On our way to the cathedral, I noticed that the marketplace seemed to be less busy than what it used to be. Normally, around this hour, there would have been tons of customers trying to buy out the latest trend, or just observe their surroundings deciding on whether or not to make a purchase. "Natsu-san, don't you think it's a little too quiet here?"

"Hmm. Now that you mention it, it is kinda quiet." Natsu sniffed the air, "I definitely sense trouble around."

I agreed with Natsu, as my dragon instincts also said the same. There was this strange, intense atmosphere around us, almost as though all happiness had been drained from the world.

"Stay close to me Wendy."

We had arrived at Kardia Cathedral. The man who placed the request stood in front of us. He definitely looked like Mystogan, though his scent said otherwise. Natsu seemed to be thinking the same as me, as he shouted, "If you think you can impersonate Mystogan, you're dead wrong! What the hell do you want?"

"Ah, and it was you who really wanted to take on this request in the first place, wasn't it? Natsu Dragneel?" If it weren't for that awfully strange scent he was giving off, I would have sworn he sounded like Mystogan.

"My request is simple, I wish for your assistance in defeating a dragon, nothing more. I'll even double the reward if you're able to complete my request within three days. You see, I predict that it would have taken five days if I only summoned one of you, but I believe two dragon slayers are enough to do the job."

"Then what about Gajeel-san?" I inquired, "Why was he affected by your enchantments? Plus, why did I end up sleeping longer than everyone else?"

"I felt that he was of no need for this, Wendy Marvell. Also, it was not just you who was affected, but Natsu Dragneel as well. You two are the aforementioned dragon slayers of the prophecy, are you not?"

"A p-p-prophecy?" I stuttered. _Is this what Loke-san's hiding from us? Why wouldn't he mention it to any of us?_

"I don't care who you are, but I've never heard of such crap in my life," Natsu said through gritted teeth, "Just tell us what to do so we can get it over with."

"Very well," the man summoned a platform of light out of thin air, "This shall be your ticket in to Edolas. I shall be opening the Anima portal."

"Wait, Edolas?" I asked, "Excuse me sir, but the dragon is in Edolas? I thought that the connection between Edolas and Earthland was broken? There shouldn't be any more magical anomalies there!"

"Consider this a request from the king of Edolas himself, as I'm only a mere messenger. Once you get there, seek out the king to request more information."

With that being said, the platform of light slid underneath our feet. Then, it encased us in a force field of light. The man then called up to the sky, and a rift in space opened up, revealing the hidden passage that led to the kingdom of Edolas.

"Farewell, dragon slayers. May your quest end with success," With a wave of his hand, the force field carrying us was sent rocketing towards the portal. We were on our way back to Edolas…

"Uugghh….." Natsu groaned as his motion sickness started to kick in.

"Don't worry Natsu-san, this won't take very long," I sat down and motioned for him to rest his head of my lap. Natsu came over and did so, with a slight smile on his face. "Thanks Wendy."

"No problem Natsu…uuggghh…."

_I suddenly felt as though I was about to throw up. My insides churned. My head felt like it was about to explode. Oh no, now that I've become of age, does that mean that I too have reached that state of motion sickness?_

It was my turn to double over. I fell over top of Natsu as we both held on to each other for dear life as we endured the horrible sensation that was motion sickness.

After what felt like hours, we ended up crash-landing into a tree, where both of us lay sprawled and hanging off a branch. That was definitely not a comfortable experience.

Natsu fell off the branch first. He landed on his back looking up at me while I drooped over the branch. It was only a matter of seconds before I fell off too, and I did. I fell right on top of Natsu, and we both ended up rolling down a hill and straight into a bush.

I ended up underneath Natsu. I felt his warm heart beating against my chest. It was such a familiar feeling, as it reminded me of five years ago when I first hugged Natsu. Our hearts seemed to beat in rhythm, and it felt so soothing…

"Deeuggh!" Natsu quickly leapt off my body and made an act of brushing off something from his own body. "Sorry, sorry, sorry! If Erza catches me like this, I'll…" He then turned to look at me and said, "You're not hurt or anything, are you?"

I blushed, "No, I'm fine Natsu-san."

"Then great, let's get on with this quest then! Um, do you remember where that castle was again?"

Coming to think of it, when looking at my surroundings at that moment, Edolas did seem different from when we last visited. One, there were no more flying islands, as all the magic was drawn away back into Earthland. Second, there seemed to be nothing but forest all around us.

Then, out of the blue, a child came out from behind a tree and stared at us. He looked scared.

"Um, hi there," I called out to the child, "Do you mind telling us where we might find the castle? We need to speak with your king."

"MOMMY! MOMMY! THE GREAT DEMON LORD DRAGNEEL AND HIS ASSISTANT HAS RETURNED! SEND FOR THE ROYAL GUARD!"

Alarms started blaring all around the forest. Pretty soon, Natsu and I found ourselves surrounded by a faction of the Edolas royal guard. As if this day couldn't have gotten any worse…

"All right, I'm all fired up right now!" Natsu shouted as he punched his fists together, "Let's go Wendy, we'll make quick work of them! **_KARYUU NO TEKKEN!_**" (Fire Dragon's Iron First). Natsu then went ahead to punch some of the guards, in which he did, but only with a regular punch. "Huh? What gives?"

"Um, Natsu-san, don't you remember that our magic doesn't really work in Edolas? Last time, we had to eat some sort of pill to use our magic."

"Aw, come on!" Natsu groaned as he dodged a few incoming guards, "Well, what we do then?"

"I guess we've got no choice but to run then! Come on Natsu-san!" I grabbed his hand and we ducked, dived, and dodged in and around the guards as we made our escape. I felt the only chance we had was to find Edolas' Fairy Tail guild. At least we'll be able to see familiar faces, and that we could get a few leads as to where this dragon our client mentioned was hiding.

"Let's hurry Wendy, they're gaining on us!"

Before I knew it, I tripped over a stone, sending both Natsu and myself down another hill. As we rolled, the footsteps of the guards seemed to become fainter and fainter. Both of us ended up sprawled across the grass as we reached the bottom of the hill. I felt dizzy. That was three times today that I had endured the pain that was motion sickness. Was this ever going to end?

"Hey Wendy, looks like we've made it to Fairy Tail!"

I looked up. Indeed, we reached the Edolas' Fairy Tail building. It was the same as ever, a tall plant-like building that stuck up in all sorts of odd angles, with wooden doors and windows carved into it.

"Come on, let's go inside. We'll be able to get a few leads as to where that dragon is."

"Yes! I already all fired up!" Natsu punched the air as we entered the door.


	7. Chapter 6: Return to Edolas

**Hey everyone, new chapter is up, hope you enjoy it!**

**Anyways, as usual, please review. Thanks!**

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**Note: I do not own Fairy Tail nor any of its characters. All rights go the Hiro Mashima.**

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**Chapter 6: Return to Edolas**

Once we entered the building, there seemed to be a number of changes since our first visit. One, the people I recognized here seemed a lot older now. I guess I had to account for the fact that the seven-year time skip affected Edolas as well. Also, rather than being an old, rundown clubhouse, Natsu and I ended up gazing in awe, as we were standing in the lobby of a five-star hotel! It was amazing!

"How do you do? Welcome to Fairy Tail! My name is Cana and I…"

Edo-Cana stopped and stared at the both of us. It took her a while to absorb what was going on until she finally said, "Oh my, if it isn't Natsu-san and Wendy-san from Earthland! It has been so long, how has everything been with you two?"

"Edo-Cana! Hey, what's up?" Natsu replied as he flashed his toothy grin. I walked up and said, "Pleased to meet you again Cana-san."

"The pleasure is all mine," Edo-Cana said with a smile, "So, what brings you two back here?"

"We've got a dragon to beat up!" Natsu openly exclaimed while cracking his knuckles.

"Natsu-san!" I turned to face Edo-Cana, "I'm sorry about his attitude, but we're actually here to…"

"No, actually we are fully aware of the situation as of now. Now, if you shall follow me, I believe my friends here will be able to explain everything," Edo-Cana then led us down the hall to the next room, and Natsu and I quietly followed.

The next room was just as magnificent as the lobby. There were thousands of round tables, all draped in silky white cloth. Cups, plates, and various cutleries were placed neatly on top of the unoccupied tables, with the other tables surrounded by various members of Edolas' Fairy Tail. At the far end of the room was a large stage, with red curtains which were closed at the moment. We were in the dining hall. _How could everything have fit in this building?_ I thought to myself.

"Please wait here while I get everyone's attention," Edo-Cana politely bowed to us and made her way to the stage.

While we waited, I did a bit of observations around myself. Sure, everything seemed a little bit different from last time, but a few details remained intact. For one, Edo-Gray was still hitting on Edo-Juvia. He was still wearing a ridiculous amount of clothing, while Edo-Juvia continued to ignore his affections. Well, even though it's the other way around back home, Gray has been a lot friendlier towards Juvia as of recent days.

"May I have everyone's attention, please?" Edo-Cana was standing in front of a podium with a microphone, "I am exceptionally pleased to announce that our saviours have arrived! I most humbly welcome back to Fairy Tail, Natsu-san and Wendy-san from Earthland!"

All heads turned around to look at us. Natsu and I stood rooted to the spot, speechless. "Hey Wendy, since when did we become famous here?" Natsu whispered to me. I wasn't sure how to reply. _Saviours?_ I thought, _well this is unexpected…_

After a moment of silence, the crowd started to cheer. Items were thrown into the air, people started dancing and partying like there was no tomorrow. It was utter chaos, yet for a good reason.

"You guys came back! I'm so happy!"

"We're saved! We can live free again!"

"They'll bring our land back to its normal state, I'm sure of it!"

"EVERYBODY QUIET!"

All heads then turned to a new figure standing in the centre of the room. She had short, blond hair and was wearing a sleeveless black top and a pair of black pants. It was none other than Lucy's Edolas counterpart, Lucy Ashley.

Edo-Lucy continued to stare at Natsu as if she had seen a ghost. Natsu stared back, looking rather confused. "Is there something wrong?" He managed to ask.

"EARTHLAND NATSU!" she yelled as she leaped on top of Natsu, giving him a big hug, "I knew you'd somehow return for us, I knew that it'll be you…"

I stared. I started to have this strange feeling around me. _Was it jealousy? No, why would I be jealous of Edo-Lucy? It's not like we're going to be staying here long._ I then turned over and saw my counterpart, Edo-Wendy, standing in the corner with her arms crossed. She looked just the way I remembered her, tall, beautiful, with the same sleek blue hair, though her eyes were a lot smaller than mine, and not to mention her huge breasts. I then looked back down at my chest. _I'm seventeen now, yet why have I not grown here yet?_

Edo-Lucy then suddenly had Natsu in what looked like a painful headlock. "Ouch, ouch, OUCH! What gives?!"

"Punishment technique number 51! The Head-Strangler!" Edo-Lucy playfully shouted, "What took you so long other Natsu? We've waited for five long years for someone to save us all, yet now you show up? Pathetic!"

"Now, now dear, Please don't go harassing my other self," Edo-Natsu then walked up, hand-in-hand with a little blond girl who looked about three years old, "It'll be a bad influence on our daughter over here."

"SHUT UP! CAN'T YOU SEE I'M PRACTICING MY PUNISHMENTS HERE! UNLESS YOU WANT THIS DONE TO YOU!"

"Sorry!" Edo-Natsu screamed as he cowered on the floor. His daughter looked down on him and gave him a comforting pat on the head.

"Wait a minute," I couldn't resist asking, "You and Natsu-san are married?"

"Of course we are!" Edo-Lucy said while relinquishing her hold on Natsu. He groaned in pain and fell to the floor. "It was the only way I could remember this Natsu over here."

Edo-Wendy then walked up to us, "Lucy, why don't you just get to the point and tell them why they're here," She said in a very displeasing tone.

"Okay, okay, sheesh," Edo-Lucy sighed and turned to me as I helped Natsu on his feet, "Let's get straight to the point shall we? First of all, ever since you Earthlanders left, Edolas has been left in a stable condition. The prince, who I think you two refer to as Mystogan, became king, and everything was in a state of order. End of story, right? WRONG!"

"Anyways, seven years later, there came a dragon. You know, it was the first time anyone has ever seen one up close. We we're only told of those creatures in fairy tales. This creature knew nothing but destruction and chaos, and it could produce magic as well! To counter it, the king sent us a supply of these pills," Edo-Lucy then produced a small bottle of red pills, "which enabled us to use our magic items," She then placed a pill into the socket of what looked like a sword hilt, which then sprouted a beam of magical energy.

"And then what happened? Didn't you guys beat the dragon?" Natsu asked.

"OF COURSE NOT YOU DIMWIT!" Edo-Lucy then proceeded to torture Natsu again with another one of her techniques. "Anyways, after those seven years, all seemed to be fine, the combined forces of the Edolas Royal Guard and Fairy Tail were winning the war. That was until the dragon suddenly cast this spell over the Royal Army, including the king himself. They went bonkers after that, attacking our guild and putting up high level security in anticipation of your arrival. Though, I'm not sure why they did that though."

I thought about that for a moment, _Could this have been a trap for Natsu-san and I? Does this have to do with whatever prophecy that fake Mystogan-san told us about?_ I turned to speak to Edo-Lucy, "We've heard enough, just tell us what to do and we'll get to it straight away."

"I knew you'd help out!" Edo-Lucy jumped up into the air, leaving Natsu all strangled up on the floor. "However, now is not the time, as security around the area is tight. Wehave Levy to thank for attempting to bypass it."

"I'm pretty much the only one doing any work here, thank you very much!" yelled Edo-Levy from a closed room.

"For now, you'll have to wait until Levy's completed the hacking of their system. Here, take one pill each, it'll be enough for you, as we only have a limited supply."

Natsu and I each swallowed one pill. Instantaneously, I felt my magic power return to me. Natsu let out an excited whoop. "Aw yeah, now I'm all fired up!"

"That's great, can we go to bed now, I'm really tired," Edo-Wendy complained. Somehow, she didn't seem very pleased.

"Yeah, fine, do whatever you want!" yelled Edo-Lucy, "All troops back to your quarters, we want to be up by 7AM sharp tomorrow morning!" With that, she carried her daughter and a still-cowering Edo-Natsu with her.

"Sheesh, we're not your troops," Edo-Wendy then turned to look at Natsu and me, sighed and walked away.

"Gee, what's up with her?" Natsu said while scratching his head. Natsu may be confused, but I was sure that Edo-Wendy was feeling jealous of Edo-Lucy, just like how I felt when Edo-Lucy hugged Natsu. _Why am I even thinking these things? You need to focus Wendy!_

"Please, Natsu-san and Wendy-san, if you would follow me, I'll lead you to your room." Edo-Mira appeared alongside her brother, Edo-Elfman, "It's just along the end of this hallway."

"Wait a minute, don't you mean rooms? I can't share a room with Wendy, or Erza, I mean my Erza, will have my head for this!" Natsu was suddenly shaking with fear. Apparently, Erza's self-induced concept of order has gotten to Natsu.

"Sorry there, but we only have one spare room left," Edo-Elfman replied, "Come now, it's getting late, and we don't want to end up tired for the big day tomorrow."

"By the way, how's Lisanna doing?" Edo-Mira suddenly directed her attention at Natsu, "I know she isn't our Lisanna, but every day I worry about her. I do hope someone takes good care of her."

"No problem, Lisanna's doing fine back at home, no need to worry!" Natsu said with both thumbs up, "And I've got you guys to thank for taking care of her while she was here, am I right?"

"Thank you, that's good to hear," Edo-Mira suddenly started blushing, which I didn't feel quite comfortable with. That's when I remembered that Lisanna was another person who Natsu really cared about, though he doesn't spend as much time with her than Lucy…

"Right this way, if you please," Edo-Elfman opened the door to the room. It was really spacious, with a nice view of the forest despite being on the first floor. The problem was that there was only one bed. Natsu and I both jaw-dropped just at the sight of it. _Okay, I can understand if there weren't enough rooms for the two of us, but to share the same bed?_

"I'm really sorry, but this is the only visitor room we have left, as we already have so many guests here taking refuge because the dragon had destroyed their homes," Edo-Mira replied, "If you don't mind…"

"No, it's okay, we'll manage Mira-san," _What was I thinking? Even though I'm technically an adult now, I'm still too young to be sleeping with the opposite sex!_

"Alright then, let us know if you need anything," Edo-Elfman said before closing the door behind us.

Both of us just stared at the empty bed in front of us. It wasn't that it wasn't big enough for the two of us, but still…

"Wendy, why don't you go ahead and claim the bed? I've got no problem sleeping on the floor."

"Um, but Natsu-san, the floor is so cold and hard, you won't be able to sleep well."

"Sure I will, that magic medicine thing sure gave me enough energy to fight tomorrow, so a little rough night's sleep's not gonna bother me!"

"I'm sorry Natsu-san, but I won't allow it."

"It's okay Wendy, it will be better this way. Look, I'll even…"

"I WON'T ALLOW IT NATSU-SAN!"

I couldn't hold it in much longer. The fact that Natsu had to be uncomfortable because of me, it was all too much for me to handle. I mean, I'm old enough now, which means I have to make tough decisions.

"Huh?" Natsu gave me a curious look, "You sure you're okay Wendy?"

"Why don't we just put a blanket down the middle of the bed? That way, you know, we won't be able to…"

"All right, sounds like a plan! I'll go ask for another one right now. Hey, Edo-Elfman!" Natsu ran out the door, leaving me in the room alone to ponder over what I just did now.

_Honestly, what was I thinking? _I thought, _Ever since I turned seventeen, I've been making these weird thoughts about myself and Natsu-san. Could this mean that I've become more like Juvia-san? Stalking Gray-san all the time? And why did I always feel jealous whenever someone moved in closer to Natsu-san? What is this feeling? Is Natsu-san really becoming more than my childhood crush?_

I went into the washroom to wash my face and to look at myself in the mirror. _What do I see? I see a lovely young woman with sleek blue hair tied in pigtails and delicate skin that glowed. What's not to like about myself? What's in it for Natsu-san to not like me? _I decided to use the shower stall to cool myself down and relax. Leaving my clothes in the hallway, I turned on the faucet. Instantly, warm rushing water fell over top of my gentle body. I felt that there was something magical about this water, as if it had lifted my soul to another level. It was so relaxing…

"Crap, crap, CRAP! I need to use the toilet! Make way…..Huh?"

Time seemed to suddenly stop. There was Natsu, who knocked the door over just to use the toilet, staring at me in the shower. I had nothing to cover myself up with, and I was feeling redder and redder by the minute.

"KYYYYYYAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"SSSOOOOORRRRRYYYYYY!" Natsu yelled as he ran out the door into the hallway.

It took me a while to come to after what had happened. I sat down in the shower stall, blushing madly, with the water still running. I really didn't know what to think about at that moment, it was all too embarrassing.

When I did come back to my senses, I put on one of the bathrobes hanging in the closet and sat on the bed, waiting for Natsu to come back. I saw that he had already set the blanket down the middle of the bed. I guess we're both really serious when it comes to self-consciousness.

_Knock._ "Wendy, is it okay for me to come in now?"

"Don't worry Natsu-san, everything's fine."

"Great, that's good," Natsu then walked in, with a rather stupefied look on his face. He looked pale, as though he had seen a ghost of some sort. I was beginning to worry.

"Is something the matter Natsu-san?"

He turned to me, looking all flustered. "You, I mean other you, scary, let me use her toilet, came close to me, sad face, touched me," Natsu was shaking all over.

"You mean Edo-Wendy?" I asked, "What did she do?"

"Don't want to talk, go to sleep, sorry," Natsu then took his side of the bed and pulled the covers over himself.

_Edo-Wendy huh? No wonder she was acting all grumpy around Edo-Lucy. Is it because that she likes Natsu-san as well? Gosh, I shouldn't even be thinking these things! We have a big day tomorrow!_

"Well then, I guess I'll turn out the lights now. Goodnight Natsu-san."

"Ah," was his muffled response.

I settled myself onto my side of the bed and lay down. Despite having a blanket bordering both sides of the bed, I couldn't sleep because I felt so uncomfortable. A lot of things happened today, from hearing about the prophecy to the realization that Mystogan-san was being controlled by the dragon, it was too much for me to handle.

…

_I sat on the floor, watching as a streak of silver rushed by my head. A flash of red, I found my face covered in a warm sticky substance. The man who was standing in front of me, trying to protect me from the onslaught, was struck down, falling, falling…._

"No…."

_I watched in horror as he collapsed on the ground, lifeless, blood splattered all over, his eyes wide open in shock. Everyone around us jeered and laughed, praising the success of their attempted assault…_

"Please, no…"

_All else seemed to fade away from my mind. I screamed. I thrashed about, awakening the inner beast inside of me…_

"NOOOO!"

I sat up in bed, sweating like crazy, as I woke up from that nightmare. _Why was I dreaming that again? Why now? Was this some sort of omen? Please let it not be so!_

However, it seemed like I wasn't the only one suffering from nightmares. Looking over at Natsu's side, I saw him with his eyes shut tight, shivering, with his teeth clenched and his hands balled into fists.

"Leave her alone…"

"Natsu-san?"

"Leave her alone I tell you!"

I watched in terror as Natsu thrashed about in bed, trying to overcome his nightmare. It was a horrible sight. "Wendy…"

"Huh?"

"Don't hurt Wendy, please, don't hurt her…"

I was scared. I wanted to comfort him, but I was afraid that he might do something rash. Nevertheless, I slowly reached my hand out to him.

"NOOOO!" All of a sudden, Natsu pulled me into a tight embrace. He was crying, literally crying, while saying my name over and over again. It was the first time ever I've seen Natsu cry, I was sad, and I didn't know how to respond.

Slowly, I wrapped my own arms around him, pulling him close to me. A few tears trickled down my face as I said in my most soothing voice, "Everything is okay Natsu-san, and I'm here for you…"

"Wendy…."

* * *

**So how was that chapter? Anyways, I wanted to do a poll to see what fanfiction project I should do after The Dragon Slayer Prophecy, but there doesn't seem to be a polling thing here. So, I will ask you, what should I write about next? Here are 3 ideas I've been thinking about:**

**1. A Lion King parody with Fairy Tail characters. It will be NaWen based, and I was thinking of naming it somewhere on the lines of "The Dragon King" or "The Fairy King".**

**2. An Edolas flashback/alternate scenario in which Natsu and Wendy are alone and have to fend for themselves, meaning no Lucy, Gray, Erza, or Gajeel. Happy and Carla would be there though.**

**3. A comedy in which Natsu and Gray are put in a harem situation where they have to satisfy the needs of many female characters in order to return everything to normal.**

**Yeah, most of these are cheesy ideas, but your input would be greatly appreciated. Send me a PM, or post on the reviews page to vote for your favourite idea. Til next time! **


	8. Chapter 7: An Ancient Grudge

**Hey everyone, sorry for the late update. Like I said, I've been busy with school, and as much as I would have liked to write more, I couldn't find much time to. Anyways, this chapter is shorter than usual, sorry about that. Also, a big thank you to everyone who either favourited or reviewed my story. It means so much to me.**

******Note: I do not own Fairy Tail nor any of its characters. All rights go the Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: An Ancient Grudge**

I woke up early the next day to find myself still in Natsu's arms. Thinking back to want happened last night, I realized that Natsu was also plagued by a nightmare similar to mine. I was starting to believe that the prophecy the fake Mystogan had mentioned was beginning to become a reality. Why was the celestial spirit world attacked? Why did Loke mention dragons? Why were both Natsu and I having nightmares of each other getting killed? These events were more than just a coincidence.

Not wanting to wake Natsu up, I silently crept out of his arms and got out of bed. I looked at the bedside clock. 6:00 AM. I usually don't get up that early. Maybe it's because I have a lot in mind right now. I got changed and went out into the hallway to do a little exploring. However, when I opened the door, who would have thought that a body would fall through it? I would have screamed, but I didn't want to alarm Natsu. Lying there was my half-conscious other self. It seemed like she had slept at our door for the entire night.

"Hm? It's morning already?" Edo-Wendy mumbled. Then, when she saw me staring over her, she started looking at me funny. "That's odd, I remember my other self being all cute and tiny." She then stood up and motioned me to follow her.

I was somewhat curious with her behaviour. Letting my instincts guide me, I followed Edo-Wendy down the hallway into what seemed to be her own room. She closed the door and went to sit down in her bed. I noticed that her room was decorated with miniature toy cars and vehicles. _That's odd, who would've thought that my other self had such a peculiar interest?_ That was when I saw a large picture on the wall in front of the bed. Walking up to get a closer look at it, a sudden realization dawned upon me.

"That's why you acted that way toward my Natsu-san."

"Yes."

"That's also why you weren't too friendly with your Lucy-san, because she married your Natsu-san."

"Yes."

"What happened? You can tell me everything."

Edo-Wendy stared at me with a sad face. She looked like she was about to cry. "It was the fifth year since your departure from Edolas. I was 22 back then. I felt like I needed someone to lean against, someone to comfort my aching heart. Then there he was, that pink-haired goggle head, walking towards me. We were in the process of turning Fairy Tail into a hotel service, with Lucy giving out orders, of course." She sighed and stared at the floor.

"At first I didn't think much of him. He would be scared of the silliest things. He acted all childish and immature, and would always have that confused-looking expression on his face all the time. However, one day, Lucy had ordered me to fetch a new supply of lumber from one of the locals down in the marketplace. There was no way I could have carried all that lumber on my own! Luckily, Natsu had offered to help, though I wasn't sure of it at first. He took me to his car (cars nowadays are fueled by gasoline) and drove me to the marketplace. That was when I noticed him change." Edo-Wendy then stared dreamily up into space.

I didn't need her to continue on. From what I recall, Edo-Natsu had this strange split personality where he would normally be all shy and scared, but become really calm and collected whenever he is in a vehicle. However, I continued to listen to Edo-Wendy's story.

"It was as though he was a completely different person, not that awkward man who stood in the corner, but a man who could win the hearts of many. Ever since that day, he would take me on a ride in his car all across the kingdom. Those moments were to be cherished, as they made my heart feel all light and fluffy."

"But then came the time when the dragon entered our homeland. We couldn't go out, and a lot of things were destroyed, including Natsu's car. Pretty soon, Lucy started closing in on him, and before you know it, they got married, and had a kid." Edo-Wendy went back to her reclusive state. "So there you go, that's my story. I just thought you wanted to know."

I didn't know what to say. Here was my other self, who I viewed as tough, yet with a kind personality, breaking down in front of me. She felt the same way towards her Natsu as I do to mine. I just stood there, shocked, not knowing what to do.

"Let me ask you this." Edo-Wendy suddenly snapped out of her reverie. "How much do you like your Natsu?"

"How much?" I thought for a moment myself. _I've always looked up to Natsu-san as a good friend ever since we first met when forming the alliance of light guilds. It took a few years for me to realize that I was developing a crush on him. Though Natsu-san may be thick-headed at times, he's always been loyal to his friends, and he's got a sense of humor to boot…_

"Wendy? WENDY! Where are you?"

I heard Natsu's voice out in the hallway. His yelling was waking up the rest of the residents. Quietly, I peeked out of Edo-Wendy's room door.

"Hey man, what's going on? Who's making that ruckus?"

"It's that Earthland Natsu. What's he doing up so early?"

"Hey buddy!" Natsu suddenly grabbed one of the men by the collar and hoisted him up in the air. "What did you do to Wendy? Was this all a setup? Did you think I would fall into your trap that easily?"

"Hey, hey, calm down! We did no such thing! She should be somewhere in the hotel, I think?"

"Why you little…"

"Natsu-san! Stop! I'm right here!" I quickly burst out of the room before Natsu could cause any more trouble. "I only just went out for a walk, that's all!"

"Oh, Wendy, there you are!" Natsu dropped the man he was holding. "You had me worried there for a second!"

"Did you really think I disappear on you? I'm old enough to take care of myself, thank you very much." I wasn't really mad at Natsu. I just wanted to show him how I've grown, that I wasn't the young 12-year old kid who wasn't confident with herself. But then again, Natsu was worried about me…

"Ooh, look mommy, the Earthlanders look so lovey-dovey! It's kinda cute!"

"WE'RE NOT LOVEY-DOVEY!"

Natsu and I turned to look at each other. We both said it at the same time! I blushed and turned away quickly. _I mean, sure I have a crush on Natsu-san, but I didn't want it to be public news!_

"Oi! Is everyone awake? Good, all Fairy Tail troops to the dining hall now!"

Edo-Lucy walked out of her room, dragging along a barely conscious Edo-Natsu, who seemed to be fidgeting in his sleep. I turned to look at Edo-Wendy, who was looking at the floor. She didn't seem to look at all very friendly at the moment. Avoiding her, I followed Edo-Lucy along with the rest of Edolas' Fairy Tail.

"All right listen up everyone!" Edo-Lucy was now standing at the podium on stage, with Natsu and I standing right behind her. "By some strange coincidence, Earthland's magic users have come to aid us in this war! Fate is on our side now! We can turn the tides now! We can win!"

"Hear! Hear!" went the crowd below us.

"That's why our game plan has changed! Today we attack full force! Head straight to the castle and strike! We shall be led by the Earthlanders! There's no way we shall fail!"

"Wah? What kind of plan is that?" I started to shudder at the fact that we were planning to charge headfirst into a whole army of armed soldiers. And not to mention the likes of Erza Knightwalker!

"Great! Sounds like a good plan to me! I'm all fired up right now!"

"Natsu-san, this is a dragon we're facing! Don't you remember how difficult it was back in Crocus?"

"Well, that was years ago. Surely we'd have gotten stronger, no?" Natsu gave me a confident smile and a thumbs up. "Besides, it's two dragon slayers up against one dragon. How hard can it be?"

"Hai!" That seemed to boost my confidence. Isn't it typical of Fairy Tail members to tackle quests without even strategizing first?

"Then it's settled! All troops, head out on my signal! Levy! Are you done with the hacking yet?"

"I was done with that already! In fact, I was up all night because of you!"

"What did you say you blue-haired freak?"

"I said what I just said blondie! Suck it up!"

A fight broke out between the two women. Edo-Wendy then took the lead. "You heard what they said. Let's get going! It's time to reclaim our homeland!" She then smiled at Natsu and me, prompting us to take charge.

"All right! Let's do this Wendy!"

"Okay Natsu-san! Follow us everyone!"

Together, everyone ran out of the building and into the forest, headed straight for one destination. The Edolas Royal Palace. It wasn't too hard to locate due to my memory, our enhanced senses, and the fact that the palace was typically the largest building in the whole kingdom. We were able to reach the palace gates in no time.

"Halt! Who goes there? AAAHHH!" One of the guards toppled over as Natsu thrust his Fire Dragon's Iron First at him. I blew away the remaining guards using my Sky Dragon's Claws. Instantly, all the front guards were left unconscious.

"Want to know who we are? We're Fairy Tail, and we're here to take back what's ours and restore this nation to its former glory!" Edo-Lucy yelled while waving her magic whip around. "Better back down now or we'll force our way in!"

At that moment, more and more guards came running in. This shouldn't have been a problem for us right?

**_"TENRYU NO YOKUGEKI!" _**(Sky Dragon's Wing Attack)

**"****_KARYU NO YOKUGEKI!" _**(Fire Dragon's Wing Attack)

Both of our attacks collided in unison, scattering the incoming guards in various directions. I've got to admit that this was one of my favourite spells, as it was the first I was able to learn from watching Natsu fight, and my first time using it was during the battle against Master Hades.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's keep moving!" Natsu yelled as we continued to run through the castle grounds, all while beating aside the various guards that kept charging at us. _Natsu-san really is confident isn't he? _I thought to myself. _I just wish I was as brave as him…_

"That's as far as you'll go intruders!"

All of a sudden, the atmosphere suddenly changed, as if all rays of hope have been dissipated. Standing in our way was none other than Erza Knightwalker, along with her allies Sugarboy and Hughes. Somehow, all three of them were emitting some sort of fear aura that could make your legs feel like jelly. Natsu and I both immediately collapsed in front of them. "How? How could this be?"

"Dammit! What kind of trick is this?" Natsu yelled as he tried to stand back up, but failed each time he tried.

"I'm glad you two dragon slayers fell right into our trap. For Lord Zirconis, we shall put an end to the dragon slayer prophecy!" With that being said, Hughes waved his magic wand and cast some sort of spell upon Edolas' Fairy Tail.

"Hey, what the…ahhhhh…" Edo-Lucy, after being hit by the spell, suddenly stared menacingly at Natsu and I. "We are Fairy Tail. We live to serve Lord Zirconis. We will prevent the prophecy from fulfilling. Subdue those dragon slayers!"

_Zirconis? Didn't he die centuries ago? Unless some sort of dark magic brought him back to life? _I didn't have much time to think as I avoided attacks from Edolas Fairy Tail. What was I to do? I couldn't attack my friends!

"You bastards! What did you do to our friends? What happened to Mystogan?" Natsu charged headfirst towards the Captains, but was thwarted by Sugarboy, effortlessly knocking him aside.

"Looking for me?" Mystogan suddenly appeared out of nowhere, catching Natsu before delivering a painful electric shock through his body.

"AAARRRGGGHHH!"

"Natsu-san!" I screamed as Mystogan dropped Natsu's unconscious body. Before I could react, I found myself being pinned to the floor by a few Edolas' Fairy Tail members. "Let go of me!" I struggled to get up, but soon found my hands being tied together by some magic-restraining substance. I was then brought up to my feet to face Erza Knightwalker, who smirked and nodded to her comrades.

"Yes, this is the one Lord Zirconis is looking for. Sugarboy, Hughes, take the other dragon slayer to one of the cells. Schedule an execution in 3 hours sharp. As for this one," Edo-Erza playfully toyed with my hair. "I'll bring her to Lord Zirconis. He has something special planned for you."

Sugarboy and Hughes went right away to drag Natsu to the dungeons. "No, leave Natsu-san alone…AAAAHHH!" Mystogan delivered the same shock through my body, and I was immediately unconscious.

_Moments later…_

When I first awoke, I found myself stocked in the centre of a dimly-lit circular room. I couldn't move or use my magic at all. It seemed so cold and empty in there, almost enough to scare any child to tears. However, I stood my ground, waiting for whatever threat that may appear in front of me.

Torches suddenly turned ablaze all around the room. I now found myself in a circular courtroom, staring up into what looked like seats that were elevated high up from where I stood. The only thing that was missing was that there was no one in those seats. Instead, glaring down at me was none other than the jade dragon, Zirconis. "We meet again, Sky Maiden."

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**On a final note, it seems like for my poll, most people want to see either option 1(Lion King/Fairy Tail parody) or option 3(Natsu/Gray harem). I'm still going to leave this poll open, so to narrow down which idea to start building upon. I probably wont be getting into writing that story unitl much later. Until then, vote, and review this chapter! Thanks!**


	9. Chapter 8: The Prophecy Unfolds

**Hi everyone! Just a quick update before moving on with this chapter. First, I'll probably be ending the Edolas story arc by the next chapter, and I'm gonna officialy announce that I'm limiting this story to approximately 20 chapters. Sorry if it can't be any longer, but I will for sure write more NaWen in the future! As for the poll, please view my profile for the results (the last few paragraphs if you're not interested in reading about me LOL). **

**Warning: There will be a few of Street Fighter references in this chapter (I am a Street Fighter fan after all...)**

**Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights go to Hiro Mashima.**

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**Chapter 8: The Prophecy Unfolds**

Zirconis the jade dragon eyed me maliciously as I stood there stocked, not being able to move a muscle. "We meet again, Sky Maiden." He then sneered. "You must be wondering why I'm making the assumption that we've met before. Let me tell you this: were you ever curious about the history of your foster parent Grandine?"

I ignored his gaze. "Leave Grandine out of this, you have no right to even mention her name."

"Oh, but what if I told you that I was acquainted with her? Doesn't that spark a bit of frustration? Come on, I want to hear you scream." Zirconis continued to mock me by sticking his snout dangerously close to my face, but I was unnerved by it.

"Please, I don't think someone as great as Grandine would be in the same league as a dog like you."

"WHAT?" Zirconis momentarily backed off at my snide remark. "Geez, why is it so hard to get you to crack? Hmph! You can ignore me, but the fact that your comrade is dead now…heehee."

"I don't believe you." I wasn't going to let that dragon get the better of me. "Natsu-san isn't the kind of guy who would fall so easily. When I get out of this, you're going to pay for what you did to this world!"

"Really now, do you actually think that he'll be alive after all of this? You don't even know how long you were unconscious for! For crying out loud, you should show more respect to me, as I am now the lord of this realm!" Zirconis stood up in a mock majestic stance, flapping his wings to add to the effect.

"I still don't believe you." I didn't care what Zirconis said to me. I had to stay faithful to Natsu. He definitely wouldn't give up now, would he?

"Hmph! All right then, why don't you see for yourself?" A lacrima was dropped in front of me, which instantly displayed a scene of what looked like an execution ground. There was Natsu, unconscious and chained to a wall, with Erza Knightwalker pointing her magic spear at him. "Astounding sight isn't it? Too bad they didn't leave a body for me to eat. Gosh! I'm tired of eating humans with no magical power!"

I watched in horror as I saw Erza Knightwalker fire an enormous beam of energy at Natsu. It looked so realistic, and there was nothing I could do. Pretty soon, the smoke from the attack cleared up, and Natsu was nowhere in sight. All that was left was Natsu's scarf, lying where Natsu once stood.

_No, this cannot be happening! I don't want to believe it, it isn't true! Natsu-san…_

"Finally believe me? Here, take this as a memento of what you just witnessed." Zirconis threw down Natsu's scarf, which floated down, lifeless, just like its wearer. Tears started to build up in my eyes. Was this how it was supposed to end? What was I supposed to do now? I had lost all hope. There was nothing left in me to keep me moving forward.

"You were out cold for three hours. Surely you didn't hear anything about this did you?" Zirconis then gave off a horrible laugh that rang throughout the courtroom. It was too unbearable. I remembered before losing consciousness when Erza Knightwalker mentioned that Natsu was to be executed in three hours. I just didn't know how three hours could've passed by so quickly! Tears continued to pour down my eyes every second that passed.

"Ah, finally! The Sky Maiden breaks down! Hahaha!" Zirconis roared in delight. "Now, let me tell you my story, as I'm sure you wanna know why I'm here and how I know everything eh? Here goes: That time when the Eclipse Gate let us dragons through into your time plane? I remember everything. How you were the one who decided to go up against me during our invasion? Every memory is as perfect as day. How you might say? It was none other than the workings of Zeref! That's who! The dark wizard that will surely take over the world and make it as he sees fit!"

_Zeref? Is his magic truly that powerful? Enough to even meddle with time and memories?_

"Now, you should know by now that I despise humans, unless I eat them. However, this Zeref promised me this, if I were to prevent this so-called dragon slayer prophecy from fulfilling, I would be rewarded by devouring this entire realm! What a bargain! It was totally worth it! With that, I was granted a powerful magic, human subordination or whatever it was called, which allowed me to take control of the people in this realm. I manipulated them so that I can lure you two dragon slayers here to Edolas, thus I can finally take my revenge!"

"Revenge?" I said through strangled sobs. "Is this what you wanted all this time?"

"Of course! For years, I've regretted not being able to finish you off, so now that I've been resurrected, I now have the chance to kill two birds at once! One, for you meddling with my plans, and two, for what Grandine did to me!"

"What did Grandine have to do with this?"

"Didn't you hear me child? I was acquainted with her, almost to the point where we actually mated!" Zirconis gazed up into the sky. "But heaven forbid, why in hell did she oppose the fact that dragons were made to rule over the humans? Why did she side with those human-loving dragons? With Igneel?" Zirconis was suddenly very agitated. "Did she not see the potential in a dragon-ruled world? What blinded her? What could've caused her to warp her mind around like that?"

Zirconis then directed his gaze at me. "You, my dear child, are the product of her misguided thoughts. I'm going to pay back for her abandoning me by torturing you. I'll make you suffer until your dying breath. That way, I shall be satisfied."

Suddenly, I felt something slash my leg. I winced, trying to look for the source. However, there was nothing in sight.

"Don't know where that came from did you?" Zirconis sneered. "This is just one example of my newly employed thought transfer magic. You see, while you remain trapped in that restraint, I have the ability to inflict all sorts of pain on your precious body. Want another go? How about this?"

I felt another invisible blade graze my arm, followed by a punch to the stomach. The pain was almost unbearable. If it weren't for the stock restraint holding me upright, I would've buckled by now.

"Hah! Feel the pain of 400 years of vengeance! This Zeref person is truly amazing! Yes, in case you were wondering, it was I who placed that curse on your human guild, preventing anyone else from leaving. It was I who created that thought projection of the king of this realm, prompting you dragon slayers to accept the request! Oh, the power! Take this! And that!"

Blow after blow, I took in Zirconis' torture, unable to move and suffering from incredulous amounts of pain. _Is this how everything's going to end? I don't want things to end this way! I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN!_

A familiar aura was surrounding my body. It was like some sort of newfound power, similar to how I felt during my nightmare. It was triggered by my emotions, and it took the pain of losing Natsu as well as the continuous torture to activate. Now, the pain didn't seem so harsh anymore.

"What's this?" Zirconis was suddenly surprised. He continued to exert his mind to deliver more imaginary pain, but it was useless. I didn't feel them anymore. Instead, I felt an intense amount of anger.

"RRRRAAAARRRGGGHHH!" With an immense amount of strength, I was able to break free from my restraints. Never have I felt so angry before. I despised this dragon, everything about him. I rushed toward him with incredible speed.

"No, stay away from me you brat!"

**_TENRYU NO TENSHOUKYAKU! _**(Sky Dragon's Heavenly Ascension Kick)

I sent wave after wave of wind currents from my kicks towards Zirconis' head, which struck him viciously like a flurry of blades. He buckled and fell backward, breaking down the walls of the courtroom and revealing the blue sky. He tried to get back up, but I wasn't going to let him go easily.

**_TENRYU NO BAKU HADOUKEN! _**(Sky Dragon's Bursting Surge Fist)

A barrage of wind blasts erupted from my palms, striking Zirconis' unprotected torso. The blasts were powerful enough break through his hardened jade scales.

"Why you…" Zirconis tried to strike me with his claws, which I was miraculously able to dodge in midair. However, Zirconis was able to recover and with an incredible speed to match. He was able to strike me with his snout, sending me flying in the opposite direction. Before I had a chance to recover, Zirconis grabbed me with his claws and pinned me to the ground.

"Gragh! How did you get so powerful all of a sudden! I will not lose to the likes of a human! NEVER!"

I struggled to break out of his grasp, but the dragon's strength was overwhelming. It felt like my bones were about to be crushed. However, I was not going to give in.

**_METSU RYU OUGI: SHOUHA HYAKURETSUKYAKU! _**(Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Shattering Light Hundred Rending Kicks)

Kick after kick went into striking the body of the jade dragon. Augmented by the power of the winds, I was able to strike him down to a state of submission. Zirconis was now bleeding all over, revealing wounds so deep that he was now barely recognizable.

"Huff, huff, why you little brat! I'll crush you!" With a horrible yell, Zirconis launched his entire body towards me. I braced myself, ready to follow up with another attack.

**_METSU RYU OUGI: GUREN SHINRYUKEN! _**(Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Divine Dragon Fist)

Zirconis' mangled body was knocked aside by a powerful flaming uppercut by some unknown assailant. Instantaneously, my sense of rage had dissipated from my body. _What was that I felt earlier? Was it Dragon Force? _My legs then buckled and I fell over on the floor, gasping for breath. That sense of power had totally drained most of my magical power. As I looked up to see who the attacker was, my heart skipped a beat. _Could it be?_

"I'll be taking this back, thank you very much." He grabbed at a scarf floating in the air and tied in around his neck.

"Natsu-san! You're alive!"

"Sorry Wendy for making you wait so long." Natsu's gave off an aura that was powerful enough to frighten the worst of enemies, but friendly and warm to those he considered as friends. He then turned to face Zirconis. "Did you think that firing some freakish energy beam was going to finish me off? Like hell it would! It actually made quite a hefty meal for me. You've made me angry, and now I'm more fired up than ever before!"

This was it. Though I've never actually seen it before, I was told by Erza about this form. Dragon Force, the most powerful battle form a dragon slayer could ever attain. Natsu was able to achieve this form on two occasions. Once was when Natsu battled a possessed Jellal, where he ate an Etherion fragment in a desperate attempt to gain more power. The second was during his battle against Zero, where he accepted Jellal's golden flames in order to both defeat Zero and destroy the last lacrima that was sustaining Nirvana. Natsu looked fearsome, added by the effect of the dragon afterimage emanating behind him.

"Damn you dragon slayers!" Zirconis stood up from where he lay a while ago. "I don't believe this friggin prophecy! The dragon age will never come to an end! I will not see that happen!"

Zirconis then lifted his head to the skies. He was charging his roar attack! Natsu and I were both aware of how destructive a true dragon's roar was compared to a dragon slayer's roar from the time Tenrou Island was attacked by Acnologia. "Hahaha! There's no way you humans will prevent this from happening! I'll bring about the destruction of this entire realm! There'll be nothing left! You humans are done for!"

How were we able to stop this? Natsu may have enough magical power to carry on the fight, but I was completely out of it. I had no more magic power left. I felt so weak, I was unable to fight anymore…

"You're not weak Wendy."

"Huh?" Natsu made his way towards me. It was almost as though he could read my mind. "Don't let fear get the better of you. Just like Gildarts said, it's okay to be afraid, it just goes about to tell you where you need to improve!"

Natsu's words were extremely powerful. I stopped looking down at myself. I was boosted by my newfound confidence. With Natsu by my side, I felt like I could do anything.

"I need your help Wendy. There's no way I would be able to do this myself." Natsu reached his hand out to me. "Let's combine our strength. Together we can finish this!"

_Unison Raid? _A rare occurrence when two mages combine their magic energy to form a devastating attack spell. I wasn't sure if I was ready for this. Both mages must be both mentally and physically engaged in order to pull it off. However, this was no time for doubt. The fate of Edolas, and possibly the rest of the world, depended of this.

"Okay Natsu-san" I accepted Natsu's hand. We both turned to face Zirconis, who was almost done charging his roar attack. I felt my mind and body fill up with the warmth of Natsu's flames. I was able to see through Natsu's eyes, feel through Natsu's body, and smell using Natsu's nose. My mind and body was one with Natsu. Instantaneously, we knew what to do.

"It's over dragon slayers! There's nothing left for you to do now!" Zirconis aimed his snout towards us, preparing to fire his attack.

Natsu and I joined hands, thrusting one pair of our hands in front of us. Everything was riding on this final attack. It was all or nothing.

**_HISUIRYU NO… _**(Jade Dragon's…)

**_METSU RYU OUGI KAI: SHOUHA BAKUENJIN! _**(New Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Shattering Light Exploding Flame Blade)

A single torrent of flame erupted from our hand like a sword, augmented by the power of air as it shot toward Zirconis and hit him directly in the mouth. There was a flash of light, and everything went blank.

…..

Everything around me was white. I was alone in empty space, unaware of what was going around. Looking behind me, I saw someone that made me freeze in place.

"Grandine?"

"Dear child, you were so brave. You've truly made me proud." 

"Oh my goodness, where were you?" I yelled as I ran over to give her a hug. "For years I've been trying to find you. You don't know how much I've missed you! Why did you leave me? Why?"

"I'm sorry Wendy dear, but I cannot let you know of that right now. What you're seeing right now is a vision. We are communicating through thought projection magic. What I can tell you though, is that you must carry through with the prophecy. It is essential for the survival of humankind. You must see it through if you want to see your friends for another day."

"But I want to stay with you Grandine, you're the one most important to me!" I yelled. "I don't want you to leave again. Please, don't leave me!"

"You must carry on the dragon slayer prophecy." Grandine insisted. "It mentions two dragon slayers who will ultimately eradicate the reign of the dragons. It has been proven that dragons and humans cannot co-exist with each other. The only way to defeat the dragons is through a special dragon slayer magic, and it has been foretold that only two of the first generation dragon slayers possess this magic. I didn't want to believe it at first, but it has been shown to be you, as well as Igneel's child. You two must be the ones to destroy us."

"Destroy you? No, I cannot come to think about that! You're my mother, I care so much about you, why does it have to be this way?"

"Sorry Wendy, this is as much information I can give you now. You and the other child must work together to solve this. The fate of humans rests in your hands. I must leave now. I love you, my dear child…"

"GRANDINE!"

…..

I was back in Edolas. Natsu and I were still in the position we were before, with our hands pointing towards Zirconis. The jade dragon was slowly fading away, his entire existence vanishing on the spot. I was able to get a small glimpse of his state of shock before he completely disappeared.

That final attack took so much out of us that we both fell to the floor, exhausted and totally wiped out. We still kept our hands locked tight together. It seemed like I would have to depend on Natsu for the remainder of whatever task this prophecy has laid upon us, and he'll have to depend on me as well. It's just that the idea of having to kill Grandine, my mother, plagued me. Will I have enough willpower to do so? Is it also the same for Natsu and Igneel? What do I do?

Thoughts slowly faded out of my mind as I went unconscious, still holding Natsu's strong, but affirmative grip. Someone to depend on. It felt good…


	10. Chapter 9: Victory Celebrations

**Hey guys, next chapter is up! Enjoy!**

**Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights go to Hiro Mashima.**

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**Chapter 9: Victory Celebrations**

When I awoke, I found myself in an infirmary. It was quite spacious, much more magnificent than the infirmary back at Fairy Tail. I then realized I wasn't alone. My other self, Edo-Wendy, was tending to my wounds. She had just bandaged up my arm, which was hurting quite badly. It was at these times when I wished I could be able to heal myself, but unfortunately I can't.

"You guys did it." Edo-Wendy's quietly replied. "It took us a while to figure out that we were being controlled, but right after you and Natsu struck the dragon with that spell of yours, the effect wore off right away." She stroked my hair tenderly in an almost motherly way. "I just don't know how to thank you guys. If you didn't show up, who knows what kind of despair Edolas will have to face?"

"The pleasure's all mine." I tried to sit up, but it was difficult due to the many injuries I had sustained during my fight with Zirconis. Edo-Wendy gently pushed me back into bed. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to rest a bit more. The healing techniques we use here are probably not as effective as those used where you live. I assure you that a few more days rest will do the trick."

"I see." Turning to one side, I saw Natsu lying in the other bed, sound asleep. It seemed like his injuries were cared for already. I've got to admit, Natsu looks extremely cute when asleep, despite his obnoxiously loud snoring.

"He really is amazing, isn't he?" Edo-Wendy was looking in the same direction. She then walked over Natsu's bed. She stroked his hair affectionately, pausing every now and then to let out a small sigh. Turning to me, she smiled. "It's okay, I've gotten over my depression. I may not have won the heart of my Natsu, but I'm pretty sure you have the potential to start a relationship with yours truly right here."

"Relationship? No, it's not that way! Natsu-san's just a really good friend, that's all!" I was glad that my other self was able to come to terms with her problems, but I had to defend myself. Sure, I like Natsu-san, but I'm not sure ready I'm ready to tell him or not. "Please, don't take this too far…"

"Ah, it's okay, I was just teasing you." Edo-Wendy gave a small giggle. "However, he'll know eventually won't he?" She made her way to the doorway. "You should take it easy. You'll make the healing process even slower if you're agitated."

Apparently, she was right. I winced almost immediately and clutched my chest. "It's alright, I'll be fine. Thanks for everything, Wendy-san."

Edo-Wendy winked at me before closing the door, leaving me and Natsu in the dark. _I guess there's nothing else to do but wait while we heal up. _With that thought in mind, I went back to sleep again.

_A few days later…_

A victory celebration was held in the dining hall of Edolas Fairy Tail. All Edolas Fairy Tail members were there, and we were joined by Mystogan (I guess I should say the King of Edolas now) and his Royal Guard captains. He was just how I remembered him, the same caring man who took care of me when Grandine had disappeared years ago. Back then, I knew him as Jellal, but after meeting the real Jellal, I was able to determine that Mystogan was Jellal's Edolas counterpart.

"Wendy, my how you've grown!" Mystogan came over to the table Natsu and I were sharing with Edolas' Wendy, Lucy, and Natsu. He patted my head. "It's been so long since I've last seen you that I keep forgetting to thank you for what you and Natsu have done for my kingdom."

"Jellal… I mean Mystogan-san, I mean your Highness…"

"It's okay Wendy, you may call me Jellal. It's who I introduced myself as, right?" Mystogan ignored the complaints from Erza Knightwalker in the proper addressing of the king. "So please, accept my sincerest gratitude for everything you've done for us."

Mystogan then gave Natsu and I a deep bow. Edo-Erza, Hughes, and Sugarboy were oblivious at first, but then decided to follow along in their king's best interest.

"Jellal…" I went over to give my first friend a hug. "I have yet to return the favour for you watching over me when I was little. So thank you, from the very bottom of my heart."

Hughes and Sugarboy had to restrain Edo-Erza from her temptation of forcing others to follow proper procedures when addressing royalty. "THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! AT LEAST SHOW PROPER RESPECT TOWARDS THE KING! I'LL HAVE YOUR HEAD FOR THIS!"

"Relax Erza, I haven't forgotten about you." Mystogan then turned to her a lifted her up, bridal-style. "We still have to get that relationship thing going, don't we?"

"Jellal, Erza-san, you two are a couple now?" I could not feel anymore happier for them. Mystogan, who was once a mysterious-looking man with a sullen expression, and Edo-Erza, the once fierce and murderous knight, now reconciling and settling down together. This was just too wonderful. _If only Natsu-san and I were like that…_

"Well, what are we waiting for? We still have a night of celebration ahead of us! Natsu, why don't you do the honours?" Mystogan pointed his hand toward Natsu, in which all eyes headed toward that direction. Natsu smirked.

"All right! I'm all fired up now! Let's get this party started!" Natsu sent a spark of flame flying through the air, and the party had begun. It was a fun-filled night, there was dancing, games, and music all throughout the dining hall. There was a plentiful of alcoholic drinks as well, which I refused at first. Unfortunately, I was force-fed by Edo-Lucy, which I can tell you was not a pleasant experience. I felt extremely dizzy afterwards, in which the last thing I remembered was falling asleep, lying on my stomach over top of Natsu's lap…

_The day after…_

Natsu and I gave our farewells to our friends in Edolas. Mystogan then reopened the Anima portal, and we were on our way back to Earthland. It was definitely a better experience than how we arrived in Edolas a few days earlier. I didn't want to have to go through motion sickness again.

Unfortunately, I was mistaken. Somehow, instead of landing softly back on solid ground, we ended up fifty feet above the peak of a mountain. What in the world?

Natsu and I held on to each other for dear life as we plummeted down towards the peak. We landed, but then continued to roll down that steep mountain. I felt my insides churn again, like I was about to throw up. It felt like we were tumbling down that mountain for hours. Seriously, when will this torment ever end?

By the time we reached the base of the mountain, I was already wiped out, feeling both nauseous and dizzy. Natsu was kneeling beside me, clutching his stomach and moaning painfully. Being a dragon slayer is great and all, but out of all potential weaknesses that could have been exploited, why did it have to be motion sickness?

After realizing that we weren't moving anymore, Natsu leapt up and yelled in victory. "We made it! We're home! Oh yeah!" He did a little funny dance, stomping all over the place while pumping his fists in the air.

"Um, Natsu-san, could you help me out here?"

"Huh? Oh sure, let me help you up." Natsu came over, but then he stopped. "Man, Wendy, you sure look beat. How about this? I'll carry you back home. We still have to check up on our guild and tell Erza what happened right?"

"No, it's okay Natsu-san, I can walk…Kya!"

I now found myself being carried on piggy-back by Natsu. He grinned as he started to sprint, running off towards the rising sun. It certainly felt pleasant, and I was glad that I didn't think of Natsu as a means of transportation. _Otherwise, um, I guess I shouldn't talk or even think about that…_

He had reached the guild in less than an hour. Everything seemed to be fine on the outside. As Natsu and I walked in, we were soon bombarded by many of our guildmates, all happy to see us again, and all curious with questions to be asked.

"Natsu! Wendy! You guys are back! How was Edolas?"

"Was Juvia still the same Juvia? Was Gray-sama the same Gray-sama? Did they finally get together?"

"We heard that you guys had slain a dragon. That is so Man!"

While Natsu and I stood there confused, Erza motioned everyone aside and explained. "We were aware of your whereabouts. Before you left, we had implanted an Archive-compatible lacrima within your ears. That way, we heard everything you two have heard during your time in Edolas." Erza then pulled out what looked like a giant ear. It had a familiar scent, of someone I knew Erza had issues with.

"We really have Hibiki and the guys at Blue Pegasus to thank for this." Lucy said. "A lot of effort has been made by various guilds to improve communication-type magic these days."

Erza sighed, "Yeah, I guess so. But the point is we overheard something about a prophecy involving you two. I feel that this requires a lot of discussion as to how to tackle this problem. Can any of you two recall anything strange going on these past few days?"

"Well, I…" As much as I wanted to know what this prophecy is, I didn't want to tell anyone about the nightmares I've been having. I didn't even want to think about it. It was much to terrifying.

"Come on Erza, give us a break will ya?" Natsu walked over, slouching. "We've been away for a few days, back from some sort of quest, and you give us questions? We deserve a day off right?"

"Yes I must agree." Mira said from the bar while drying a glass. "They must be really exhausted from that journey. We'll always have tomorrow to talk about things. Besides, Master, Laxus and the Raijinshuu are coming back tomorrow. Maybe Master might have more knowledge about magical prophecies."

"Well, I suppose you're right. I'll let you two off the hook for now." Erza then turned to the rest of the guild. "Now! Everyone back to work! We have a whole day ahead of us! And Nab! Just pick a damn job already!"

I sighed in relief as everyone went back to whatever they were doing. I managed to catch of glimpse of Loke, who was standing in the corner, only to disappear behind one of the other rooms. _Now this is really getting strange. Why is Loke so reclusive nowadays? What does he know about this prophecy?_

"Yeah! We have a day off! Time to party! Come on Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

Natsu and Happy were doing a little funny dance on top of one of the tables. Everyone nearby were laughing their heads off. "Geez, what is that flame-brain doing now?" Gray walked by with a scowl on his face. "Grow up will ya? You look pretty stupid up there!"

"Make me Ice-Butt!"

"Why you little…"

Then, out of some unknown instinct, I leapt onto the table and danced along with Natsu and Happy. I didn't know what made me do it, but something about it seemed fun. "Come on everyone, join in! Let's have some fun today!"

Now at first, people were confused. Why was I, the shy, young dragon slayer, all of a sudden doing something so unusual? There was an eerie silence that followed. However, people just shrugged. "Why not? Let's all join in! It's the new Man-dance!" Elfman leapt onto another table and did another funny dance of his own. Pretty soon, the whole guild was up and about dancing on top of tables. It was just one of those few times when the whole guild got together to have fun. I was especially having fun dancing along with Natsu, Happy and Carla. Truly, I wanted this day to last a little longer.

"They surely are two of a kind, don't you think so Erza?" Mira had pointed out.

"I don't know. I've always thought that Natsu was being a bad influence on our little Wendy." Erza sighed. "Well, as long as she's happy, then everyone else should be happy as well."

_Later that day_

The guild closed up for the night. Carla and I made our way back to Fairy Hills. As much fun as I had today, I can't help but ponder over the events that happened so far. Back in Edolas, I was somehow able to contact Grandine through thought-projection magic. "You must carry on the dragon slayer prophecy." She had said. "You two must be the ones to destroy us."

The thought of ultimately having to kill Grandine felt like a hard stone throbbing against my head. There was absolutely no way I could think of having to do so. There must be some way around this prophecy. Maybe these were all just hallucinations. Maybe this was all just a trick some dark wizard is pulling off. Maybe…

"Ugh…" Carla suddenly stumbled from where she was flying. I caught her just before she hit the ground. "Carla, are you okay?" I was aware of what was happening. Carla was having one of her premonitions. At times, Carla would have some sort of vision that foretold something bad that might happen in the future. I was beginning to wonder if this premonition she was having had anything to do with the prophecy. Seeing as Carla wasn't going to wake up from her vision anytime soon, I carried her and ran all the way back to our room in Fairy Hills.

Laying her in bed, I waited anxiously as Carla slowly managed to open her eyes. She was shaking all over. When she saw me staring over her, she suddenly curled up into a ball and started weeping.

"Carla, what's wrong?"

"No, please, this can't be true. This has got to be a dream. There's just no way…"

"Carla, it's okay. I'm here with you. You can tell me everything. Just take a deep breath and relax."

I helped Carla up into a sitting position. She was continued not to gaze into my direction, but she spoke rather softly, trying to lessen the harshness of the message she was about to deliver. "Someone's going to die."

"What?"

"I saw it. The black dragon Acnologia. Zeref was also there. He was merging with the dragon. Then there were you and Natsu, you two were in the midst of battle, and then, you…" Carla then jumped up and hugged me. "I don't want to lose you dear child. You mean so much to me! Why does it have to be this way? Why?"

I was shocked. The possibility of me dying at the end of all of this? I felt scared beyond recognition. In the end, maybe the prophecy won't ever be fulfilled. Maybe the world will end at the hands of Zeref and Acnologia. I shuddered. There was just no way was I going to be able to carry through with this.

Then, I thought about Natsu. His strength and determination was almost unrivaled when comparing him to the rest of the guild. When fighting, Natsu always gave it his all, especially when it comes to protecting his friends. Whenever Natsu was by my side, his confidence was passed on to me like some sort of disease, but it was a healthy one. I didn't have to be scared. As long as I have Natsu, as long as I have Carla, as long as I have all my friends, anything was possible.

"Carla, I'll make this promise with you. You will never see that happen. I am not going to die. We'll live together like one big happy family. We'll carry through and move into the future."

Carla still didn't seem convinced, but she replied with a subtle nod. Seeing as none of us had any energy left to talk, I laid Carla down in her bed, then pulled the sheets over me in my bed.

_If this prophecy were to carry through, then so be it. Natsu-san and I will make sure the world will see another day. Count on it, Grandine…_


	11. Chapter 10: A Chat among Friends

**Hey guys, DOUBLE UPDATE! I guess you weren't expecting this huh? Anyways, please review and enjoy!**

**Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights go to Hiro Mashima.**

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**Chapter 10: A Chat among Friends**

The guild hall was crowded as usual. People went out and about with the various jobs posted on the request board. Natsu and Gray were fighting over in the corner of the hall, with Elfman joining in moments later. Mira was wiping glasses over at the bar with Kinana serving food to our visitors. It was just another regular day at Fairy Tail.

We were expecting Master Makarov, along with Laxus and the Raijinshuu to be coming back from their training journey. Erza was waiting impatiently at the entrance. She sighed, "I didn't expect Master to be this late. I mean, he's the Master! Shouldn't he set an example and be on time for once?"

"Erza, seriously, it's 8 o'clock in the morning. From what I heard, they said they were coming back at night." Lucy was petting Plue, whom she was now able to summon without passing out from dizziness like last time.

"Tch, well I'll be. When I become Master, I'll make sure the whole guild follows a new set of strict guidelines on punctuality!" Erza said all this with a rather intimidating aura.

"My my, being temporary deputy master sure has gotten into her hasn't it?" Mira said with a giggle. "Tell me about it." Lucy sweat-dropped. I could only nod my head in agreement.

Just then, I detected a familiar scent coming through into the guild. _Oh no, Erza-san's in for it this time._ I thought to myself. Before you knew it, a short chubby figure of a man with long orange hair was sent flying towards the request board. "MMMEEEEEEHHHHNNNN!"

"Master Ichiya!" Two other men ran into the guild to help their comrade. These were none other than the well-known mages of the Blue Pegasus, Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki, along with two of the Trimens Hibiki Lates and Eve Tearm.

"At least walk in like any other sane person here!" Erza yelled while clutching her chest. "Don't you go charging at me unknowingly!"

"But men, you are my honey! I couldn't help it!" Ichiya lay on the floor, with a bruised eye and a bloody nose, still trying to show off his sparkle pose. I wonder why he still even tries to this day. I mean, Erza seemed to be fonder of Jellal, but we still have yet to know anything of his whereabouts.

"Anyways, we're here to take back our communications device. Much more research is needed and we need to file a report to the magic council." Hibiki and Eve then went ahead to take the giant ear out of the guild hall. "Thanks for taking part in our research!"

"No problem, see you around!" Lucy waved back. She sighed. "It seems so surprising how the Trimens have matured over the years. I mean, why can't Natsu and Gray be more like them?"

"Who would want to be like them?" Gray said as he threw a punch at Natsu. "No matter how you look at them, they're still womanizers. Why can't they just settle down with just one girl and get on with life?"

"Gray-sama can settle down with Juvia!"

"WHOA!" Gray was knocked aside from the brawl as Juvia leapt over top of him, smothering him with kisses. "Juvia and Gray-sama can be together forever!"

"GAAAAHHH!"

Seeing that Gray cannot continue fighting anymore, Natsu walked over to where Lucy and I were sitting ("Don't just walk out on me like that! Fight me like a real man should!"). "Yeah, I have to agree with that ice prick there. Just hit on one girl and get on with it! Ain't that right Lucy?"

"Um, sure I guess?" Lucy blushed while Natsu put his arm around her. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous. _Is Natsu-san really going to end up with Lucy-san?_ I remembered how back in Edolas, Lucy and Natsu had ended up getting married. _I guess both worlds are correlated with one another…_

"But we're all just friends, aren't we?" Natsu then pulled me with his other arm into a group hug. _Phew, _I thought, _Natsu-san is still the same, lovable idiot_.

"That's right! Every man should stick with one woman! And I choose to stick with my honey! Men!"

Nobody realized that Ichiya was still in the guild hall. He stood up and ran toward Erza. "You shall be mine forever! We shall live together as a happy couple! We shall…"

"**_REQUIP: ARMADURA FAIRY ARMOUR! FAIRY PIERCING SWORD!"_**

"Men?" In a brilliant burst of light, Erza sent Ichiya flying out of the guild hall. "And don't you come back!"

"MMMEEEEEEHHHHNNNN!"

"Seriously Erza, you didn't have to go overboard with that…" Lucy sighed. "You should just tell him politely that you have someone else in mind."

"But he's just so disgusting!" Erza complained. "Even if I do tell him, he will just keep coming back and bothering me! Plus, I have no grounds to say that I have someone else. Jellal, he's out there, but I don't know where…"

Lucy and Mira then walked over to console Erza. While they led her off to another room, someone else came into the guild hall. I was both surprised and happy to see her.

"Hey Wendy, long time no see!"

"Chelia!" I ran over to greet my best friend. It was a long time since I last saw her, as she was away on a year-long quest with her fellow guildmate Lyon Bastia. Chelia and I first met at the Grand Magic Games 5 years ago, where we competed against each other in a one-on-one fight. It ended in a draw, and we both reconciled right after that.

"I was wondering if you could come with me to the beach today. I need a playmate. Man, you couldn't believe how exhausting that quest was!" Chelia smiled. "It would be nice to spend my day off with my best friend, wouldn't you say?"

"Sure, of course!" I turned to look at Natsu, who nodded. "Why not? I'll cover for you and tell Erza that you went on some sort of quest on your own for once!"

"Thanks Natsu-san, you're the best!" With that, I ran off with Chelia, on our way to the beach for a fun-filled day.

_At the beach_

After changing into our swimsuits, we started off running into the water and splashing each other. We each used our own respective Sky magic abilities to enhance the force of the waves, sending each other flying, but falling gracefully, relatively uninjured. Next, we decided on building a huge sandcastle. While we worked, a couple of boys challenged us to a sandcastle competition, declaring that if they win, we owe them a week's worth of dates. The competition got the attention of many people, some cheering for us while others cheered for the boys. Ultimately, thanks to the aid of our magic, we won. As punishment, we told the boys to run around the beach wearing boxes, which made them look like they were wearing nothing, though I lightened up their embarrassment by allowing them to wear their swim trunks inside.

Chelia and I then laid our backs down on the sandy beach, exhausted but plenty cheerful. This was when Chelia suddenly talked to me in some sort of melancholic state. "Hey Wendy, do you think I'll ever compare to my cousin?"

"What do you mean?"

"My love does not seem to compare to that of Sherry's. You should know by now that she's still dating Ren Akatsuki of Blue Pegasus. She's found her love, though I still haven't been able to profess my love to Lyon though."

"Lyon-san? Why him?" I tried to wrap my thoughts around him. _Lyon-san was Gray-san's rival, as they both trained under the same Ice-Make mage. He was infatuated with Juvia-san when he first met her. However, Juvia-san was so attached to Gray-san that he eventually gave up. But Chelia liking Lyon-san?_

"I wanted him to know how much I love him, like how my cousin Sherry once did. I understand how he's so much older than me, but I'm 20 now. Surely, he would've noticed me by now?"

Hearing Chelia express her feelings about being with Lyon made me think about my dilemma with Natsu. I have a crush on him, but yet I was never able to tell him how I feel through the fact that I was afraid people might laugh at me.

I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Come on Chelia, lighten up! I'm sure Lyon is bound to notice you anytime soon. I mean, he was your partner through that year-long quest you just came back from. Surely, you two had a lot of time to interact with each other." 

"Thanks Wendy. I feel a lot better now." Chelia then gave me a mischievous smile. "So, have you professed your love to anyone yet?"

"Um, you see…" _Should I tell her about my crush on Natsu-san? I mean, Chelia's my friend right? She wouldn't go and just blab about my secret, would she?_

"Oh Wendy-chan! I didn't know you were here!"

Lisanna appeared right next to us. She sat down and smiled. "I just came back from a mission with Cana and Levy, but they both went back to the guild. What brings you here?"

"Oh, I invited her! I just came back from my quest with Lyon, so I decided to spend my day off at the beach with Wendy here!"

"That's nice, I'm sure Erza would let you off the hook since your arrival from Edolas a few days ago."

"Um, actually she doesn't know…"

"Well, that's okay. I'll cover for you and say you went along on a quest with me!" Lisanna smiled while drawing hearts in the sand. Chelia's eyes sparkled. "Lisanna-san, how is your love life going? I'm sure you're still going for Natsu-san right?"

That's when I remembered Mira telling me of Natsu and Lisanna's history together during a whole guild story-telling event. Natsu and Lisanna had pretended to be a married couple, taking care of an egg that eventually turned out to be Happy. I sat up and put my head down.

"Well, I still see Natsu as a close friend, but I decided that it isn't worth it." Lisanna blushed. "Not when she has eyes for another girl in our guild."

"You mean Lucy-san?" Chelia brought her hands together and grinned. "Well, that's true love for you! I knew those two were close. Seeing them together makes my own heart fill up with love!"

I buried my face in my arms. I didn't want to cry, I really didn't, but hearing Chelia and Lisanna imply that Natsu and Lucy were a couple was too much for me.

"Wendy-chan, are you all right?" Lisanna looked concerned. Both she and Chelia moved in closer as they tried to console me.

"I can't help it, I don't want people to know, yet I feel that people should know, especially him…"

"Is it because you love Natsu-san?" Chelia said. She had seen through everything. My secret was out there. There was no turning back now.

I lifted my head up as I spoke. "Ever since I first met Natsu-san, I've always treated him as a good friend. He's so strong, so brave, and he's really funny at times. It wasn't until a few years later that I started to notice him as something different, that he's more than just a friend, that he's…"

Lisanna looked confused. "But I always thought that Natsu had a thing for Lucy? Oh well, guess I was mistaken." She then put an arm around me. "It's okay that you like someone, it's only a matter of time that you'll be able to tell him one day. I made the mistake of not admitting my feelings for Natsu sooner and I paid the price. But I'm sure that I'm bound to find someone else someday."

Chelia grabbed my hand. "I guess that you were afraid that I might tell others about your crush. Don't worry Wendy, your secret is safe with me. I promise on the power of the 10 Wizard Saints that I will not tell anyone, until you're ready that is." Chelia winked and gave a reassuring pat to my head.

My heart felt warmer than ever before. I was glad I had such good friends who understood how I felt. Sometimes, talking it out with friends help ease up the burden of one's unwavering soul. I smiled, knowing that I have friends to count on. "Thank you…"

"Come on Wendy-chan, let's go home. It's getting late now, and who knows what Erza might say if she finds out we've been slacking off?" Lisanna helped me to my feet. We got changed and said our goodbyes to Chelia, who winked at me. "Good luck on your quest of love Wendy! I'll be rooting for you!"

I waved back as Lisanna and I made our way back to the guild. When we arrived, there was no one other than Erza waiting for us at the entrance.

"It's about time you two showed up. Come on, Master is inside. He needs to talk to everyone. Especially you Wendy."

I gulped. Lisanna just shrugged as she guided me towards the door and into the guild hall. 


	12. Chapter 11: We're in this Together

**Hey everyone, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

**Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights go to Hiro Mashima.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: We're in this Together**

Lisanna and I quietly entered the guild hall. Every member of the guild was standing in an orderly fashion. Upon our arrival, they dispersed, allowing both of us to walk through. Standing in front of the bar was none other than Master Makarov, along with Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen. Natsu was also there, facing the group with his hands in his pockets, in a way that made him look like a kid who just got told off for stealing candy.

"Ah, Wendy, there you are. Come and stand beside Natsu over here. We have some serious business to talk about. Lisanna, please take your place over beside Mira and Elfman." Master did not seem to be pleased at all. Lisanna gave me a curt nod before heading over to her siblings. I did as I was told.

"First and foremost, I am going to tell you this, as I have already told the rest of the guild already. Today shall be my last day as Master of Fairy Tail. It has been a great honour watching over you as you all lived your lives. You have made this old man very, very proud."

"Gramps…" Natsu looked very concerned. I felt a twinge of sadness dawn over me. Master has finally decided to retire. But why? Why so soon?

"It is with great regret that I shall be leaving this place to take residence in an old retirement home funded by the council. Porlyusica is also living there as well, and so far she hasn't made any complaints about it. I wish you children all the best in your future endeavours, and I hope that you'll be able to carry through the hardships of life together."

"Master…" I walked up to him, but he gently raised a hand, signalling for me to stop. "I know this means a lot to you Wendy, but I've made up my mind. An old man like me really ought to keep his aching heart at ease here. As for the future of this guild," Makarov then turned to Laxus. "I shall introduce you all to the Seventh Master of the Fairy Tail guild, Laxus Dreyar."

"What?" Natsu made a rather noticeable groan. Laxus, however, was unfazed as he stepped up in front of his grandfather. Somehow, I was able to feel that from within, Laxus has definitely changed for the better. Being Makarov's grandson, he had the traits and the expertise to run the guild. It was only until now that he was able to truly show it.

"Yes Natsu, I'm the new master now. You've got a problem with it?"

"Tch."

"Please Natsu-san, show a little more respect! It's not like he was the Laxus from before I joined the guild!" I tried to persuade Natsu to set aside whatever's been agitating him. I began to wonder what was agitating him. Wasn't Natsu on good terms with Laxus?

"Whatever, I'm fine." Natsu shrugged as he turned to face Makarov, who solemnly nodded. "Good, now if you'll all excuse me, I have a carriage to take."

We all followed Makarov out the guild hall to where a horse-drawn carriage stood waiting. Sitting at the front was Walrod Cken, one of the founding members of Fairy Tail, along with Porlyusica, Fairy Tail's medic-on-call. She smiled when she saw me. "How do you do Wendy?"

"Grandine, I'm fine thank you." Even though I'm aware that Porlyusica was the Edolas version of my foster mother, I still can't get over the fact that she sounds and smells just like Grandine.

"Hmm, how many times have I told you not to call me that?" Porlyusica shrugged, and then let out a small laugh. "I'm pretty sure you'll see her soon enough, don't you worry about it." Makarov then climbed aboard the carriage, and we all gave our farewells. Many tears were shed, as this was truly one of the saddest moments the guild shared with each other.

"Farewell Gramps, I promise you that I won't let you down." Laxus stood in front of the rest of the guild, sticking up his index finger, Fairy Tail's sign of friendship and camaraderie. The rest of the guild followed along in his lead. Despite not being able to see Makarov from far away, we could tell in our hearts how moved he was, knowing that his guild has a bright future to look forward to.

"All right everyone. You may all go back home now. It's getting late and we have a new day to look forward to." Laxus gestured everyone to head back. I was about to follow Carla back to Fairy Hills, but Laxus stopped me. "Uh….is something wrong Laxus-san? Sorry! I mean, Master?"

"It's alright Wendy, I won't hurt you. Oi Natsu!" Laxus made a grab at Natsu's collar before he was able to run off with Happy. "I need to speak to you as well. Come on, let's head to the office."

"Wendy…" Carla looked back, worried. I gave her a small nod, telling her that everything's going to be fine. Natsu waved back to Happy, who responded with a rather weak, "Aye sir…"

We followed Laxus into what was once Makarov's room where he was supposed to have filed all the paperwork and reports addressed to the Magic Council. It was messy, with papers and folders lying in piles over every inch of floor the room could offer.

Laxus went to sit on Makarov's old chair. He sighed, probably reminiscing when he used to face his grandfather here in this same place. He then faced Natsu and me. "What I need to tell you both is that during my training with Gramps and the Raijinshuu, we couldn't help but overhear rumors from a nearby village. It had something to do about a prophecy in relation to Dragon Slayers. As part of my training, Gramps made us go figure out what was going on. After several weeks of searching, we stumbled upon this."

Laxus then pulled out an ancient-looking scroll in which he unravelled to reveal the contents. It was in some sort of language that none of us understood.

"How the hell am I supposed to read this?" Natsu was ripping his hair out. "You all already know how bad I am when it comes to reading! And you mock me with this?"

"Calm down Flame-brain." With a wave of his hand, Laxus made the words on the scroll unscramble into something that we were able to read. On top of the scroll read the title, _THE DRAGON SLAYER PROPHECY_.

_So it's true. _I thought to myself while reading the scroll. _Everything that happened so far, dragons attacking the Celestial Spirit world, the nightmares I've been having, the journey to Edolas Natsu-san and I went on, it was all written down on this scroll!_

However, I noticed that up until our return back from Edolas, there was nothing left on the scroll. Puzzled, I turned to Natsu, who merely shrugged. Laxus then spoke up.

"It took a while for Freed to decipher the runes that were protecting this scroll. Even Bickslow had to chime in with his Seith magic, as this scroll seems to be the container of a living soul. From what he told us, the scroll was a prophet that lived 4 centuries ago, during the time of Zeref's rise to power. It was also during the time of the birth of Acnologia, which unfortunately I have to tell you, is not a real dragon."

"What do you mean? We faced him back on Tenrou Island, and he looked every bit like a dragon." I remembered our fateful attempt at driving Acnologia off the island, only for the island to be completely destroyed by his roar attack. If it wasn't for First Master Mavis' timely arrival, we would have all died by then.

"Is this the reason why none of our dragon-slaying magic worked on that thing?" Natsu chimed in. "I swear I would've at least broken some of its scales when I first attacked it."

"Yes, unfortunately the prophet tells it like this: There was a Great Dragon War that happened during that time. Dragons had been the supreme rulers of the world, and if any human were to oppose them, they were obliterated on the spot. It was not until the arrival a group of dragons with different views that the fight turned to a battle royal amongst the dragons."

"Great Dragon War?" I once saw a book with that title when I visited Levy's room.

"Yeah, and that's not all. In an attempt to knock some sense into the power-hungry dragons, the opposing force put their minds together in order to create the first ever Dragon Slayer, and that Dragon Slayer was none other than Acnologia."

"What? How can a dragon be a Dragon Slayer? That doesn't make any sense? My head hurts so much! AAAAHHH!"

"Quiet you!" With a zap of lightning, Natsu was knocked down to the floor. While I worried over Natsu's well-being, Laxus continued his story.

"Acnologia was once a human, just like you and me. He voluntarily accepted the dragon's proposal to infuse him with the powers of a dragon, thus the branch of dragon-slaying magic was born. Acnologia helped the rebel dragon force outdo the dominating dragons and eventually defeated all of them over the course of several years. However, their victory was bittersweet, as somehow Acnologia turned against the dragons he sided with. In due time, he eventually took form of a dragon himself and was then known to be Acnologia the Black Dragon."

"Oh, how terrible!" I never would've thought that something like this would've happened in the history of all magic. Then, it was Natsu's turn to be concerned. "Then what happened? Acnologia still continues to exist even to this day! How come no one was able to stop him? And what about Zeref? Did he have anything to do with this?"

"You see, this is where you two come in." Laxus waved his hand again at the scroll, which now revealed a new section. "The prophet recited a prophecy, in where three of the rebel dragons while raise children and teach them their respective dragon-slaying magic. The purpose was to find a way to defeat Acnologia, and possibly Zeref, once and for all. Only two would eventually come forth as the one's capable of accomplishing this feat. And as this scroll says, it's you two."

"Defeat Acnologia and Zeref?" _How was it possible to do that? There was no way only two Dragon Slayers would be able to accomplish this! _Over these few days, I've always been torn between reassuring myself and putting myself down about this whole prophecy business.

"Yeah! That's sounds more like it! I'm really fired up now!"

"Good, then it's settled. Loke, you may come in now."

Loke made his way into the room. Ever since his arrival in the human world, he hasn't been acting like his usual self. Somehow, he gave me this kind of unnerving aura that felt somewhat unfamiliar.

"You two probably know what's about to happen next, right?" Loke said in a somewhat serious tone. "The Celestial Spirit world. Dragon. You two must be the ones to defeat it."

"Another dragon huh? Well, I'm ready if you're ready Wendy." Natsu turned to me a smiled. "It looks like this ain't gonna be some easy journey, but I'll be with you, and we'll both make it through."

Despite feeling enlightened by Natsu's words of encouragement, I still couldn't feel the confidence I needed. Somehow, I felt that this whole prophecy was some sort of trap and that Natsu and I were being pulled right into it, whether we liked it or not.

"Then it's settled." Laxus stood up from his chair. Tomorrow is when you both leave for the Celestial Spirit world. We'll have a team set up in order to back you two up in case something goes wrong."

"And also, you should be aware that a day in the Celestial Spirit world equals a month here in Earthland." Loke mentioned. "So it would be beneficial that you complete this quest in the shortest amount of time possible."

Still feeling uneasy, I solemnly nodded. Laxus dismissed both of us, and I started heading home. However, I decided to go elsewhere, a hillside nearby Fairy Hills, where I usually stay to let my feelings out. Something about this place just makes me feel good. Maybe it's because of the gentle breezes that pass through these hills. It just has this kind of soothing effect that makes my heart feel light.

As I lay down in the grass, I pondered over what was going to happen in the future. Ultimately, some prophet from 4 centuries ago made up some kind of prophecy that made it sound as though Natsu and I were going to be the saviours of the whole realm of magic. We eventually would have to defeat all remaining dragons in this time period, along with Zeref and Acnologia in the end. I let out a heavy sigh. What would it be like if I was just a normal girl? Maybe I didn't have to go through all this trouble. But then again, without magic, I wouldn't have been able to join Fairy Tail and make all these good friends. I wouldn't have met either Grandine or Carla if fate hadn't been put into play. I wouldn't even have ever met Natsu…

"Oi Wendy! You still aren't home yet?"

"Kya!" Who would've thought that Natsu would follow me here? Standing up and brushing myself off, I replied, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, not really doing much I guess. I mean, it's getting late, and it seemed like you weren't heading home, so I decided to follow you to see if you were okay or not." Natsu blushed. "It's not like I'm worried or anything…"

_Natsu-san blushed? _I thought. _This is the first time I ever seen Natsu-san blush! I can't believe how cute he looks! Wait, what am I saying? Focus, Wendy, focus!_

I walked towards Natsu. "It's nothing really; I'm just worried about tomorrow. This whole prophecy thing has been bothering me this entire time, and I can't put myself to believe that everything might turn out all right."

Natsu looked at me in the eyes. He was so dangerously close to me all of a sudden. "Somehow I feel the same way too." He then looked aside. "Recently, I've been having these weird dreams. Stuff that doesn't seem to make sense to me. Every now and then, I would dream about how the whole guild turned against me and that in the end, you…"

I knew what this was all about. Back in Edolas, I saw Natsu in a state of emotional breakdown, screaming my name in his sleep. At the same time, I would often dream about Natsu getting killed right in front of my eyes. Was this just a coincidence?

"And then, after our battle with Zirconis, I somehow met Igneel, though it didn't feel like it was the real thing. He said something about having to kill him and all the other dragons, and that I have to work with you in order to do it, to protect you with my very life…"

I was staring at the ground this entire time. Suddenly, Natsu placed his hand under my chin and lifted my head up so that I looked into his eyes. Never have I ever seen Natsu look so serious before.

"We'll be able to go through with all this. Despite not knowing what's going on, well, I often don't know what's going on, we'll pull through and stand victorious. For our friends, for Fairy Tail, heck, even for all of Earthland and Edolas and whatever dimensions are out there!"

Natsu then stepped back and stuck out his hand. "So Wendy, you with me on this one?"

There was just something about Natsu that made me want to carry on. Even in the most difficult of times, he was like a fire that continues to burn into the hearts of many. In order to keep that flame alive, I would provide the air to keep that flame burning. I took his hand. "Alright, Natsu-san! I'm all fired up!"

"Sheesh Wendy, you don't have to be so formal with me! I mean come on; we've known each other for 5 years now! You're old enough; you can drop this whole honorific thing!" Natsu grinned. "So whaddya say?"

_I can now call him Natsu now? I don't know, I mean most people in the guild are older than me. I guess it was just a form of being polite with others, but Natsu-san thinks that I'm close enough to him to not address him as Natsu-san anymore?_

Taking a deep breath, I rephrased what I said earlier. "Alright Natsu! I'm all fired up!"

"That's the spirit!" Natsu gave me a high five, then ran down the hill and bade me farewell. "I'll see you at the guild tomorrow!"

As I saw Natsu run off in the distance, I was beginning to feel that maybe fate wasn't a bad thing after all. Through all this, I was able to get closer and closer to Natsu. I just hope all of this turns out to be a happy ending for all of us.

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**A few comments to make here. First of all, I encourage others to please start writing more for the Natsu/Wendy pairing. It's not like you have to, but all the good ones I read were published a few years ago, and there doesn't seem to be anymore coming out. Special shout-out to Animestorywriter, please continue your fic! I'm dying to read more!**

**As for news on my next fic, Harem Quest, I'll be posting the prologue pretty soon. If you haven't noticed already, I've set up a poll on which you can vote on 10 minor characters to have Natsu or Gray interact with in the harem. All the major Fairy Tail girls (Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Juvia, Mira, Lisanna, Cana, and Levy will be covered in later chapters). So go ahead and vote, and if I don't get any results, well... I guess I'll just choose for the heck of it.**

**Anyways, til next time! **


	13. Chapter 12: Fight and Flight

**Hi everyone! Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! **

**Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights go to Hiro Mashima.**

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**Chapter 12: Fight and Flight**

All members of the guild who were to accompany Natsu and me on our journey to the celestial spirit world were gathered at the centre of the guild hall. Lucy wanted to help mostly because it concerned the well-being of her celestial spirit friends. Erza and a very reluctant Gray decided to tag along as well. Happy and Carla were concerned for the both of us, thus they decided to tag along. Juvia wanted to join us just based on the fact that Gray was going too. And finally, Gajeel decided to come, slightly jealous that Natsu and I had slain a dragon before him, dragging Pantherlily along with him. _Did he think that this was some sort of game?_

Laxus and Loke stood before us. I still felt somewhat unnerved by Loke's presence, mainly because of his behaviour as of late. For one, he's been acting rather strange ever since his supposed escape from the celestial spirit world. Rather than being the laid-back, flirtatious kind of guy I grew accustomed to, he seemed to be more secretive and quiet, not letting up on anyone in regards to his incident several weeks ago. Even Levy, who had been doing exhaustive research on celestial spirits, had no clue as to what was going on. Also, my dragon instincts told me that there was something wrong with Loke, though I couldn't really point it out. I believe Natsu felt the same way, as he too had this unnerving atmosphere surrounding him, mainly when Loke was around.

"The team has been chosen." Laxus had announced. "As you may all be aware, the task I have set before you is not an easy one. Just by being in the celestial spirit world could potentially drain you of your life force. Also, time is very crucial to this mission, being that 1 day there equals 1 month here." Laxus then pulled out of nowhere a tray of lacrima that seemed to glow with a mixture of bright orange and light blue colour. He gave one each to everyone on the team except for Natsu and me. "I took the purpose of draining some of Natsu and Wendy's magic power and concentrated them into these lacrima pieces. You each should now stand a chance of survival if anyone one of you come face-to-face with dragons."

"Huh? When did this…" Natsu was moving his hands frantically all over his body as though part of it was missing. I was in utter shock. _Laxus-san snuck into my room last night? _I shuddered at the thought.

"Sorry about this, defensive measures really…" Laxus then straightened up. "All you have to do is to crush the lacrima with your own magic energy, and you'll temporarily gain some of Natsu and Wendy's dragon slayer magic. You're definitely going to need it once you're in the celestial spirit world."

"Great, so I have to infuse myself with a little piece of Natsu?" Gray groaned. "That is just way too creepy for me, no way…"

"Why can't you do that for Gray-sama as well?" Juvia then went into one of her fantasizing spasms. "All Juvia has to do his break a Gray-sama-infused lacrima, then Gray-sama will be inside Juvia forever!"

"Look, we don't have time for this." Erza stepped forward. "We all heard from Laxus, I mean Master, the seriousness of this situation. As much as I don't want to believe it, it seems that fate has rested upon Natsu and Wendy's shoulders. Thus, we must be there to lend our support! I, Erza Scarlet, S-Class mage of Fairy Tail, hereby dedicate my life to seeing that Natsu and Wendy will not fail in their duties!"

"Um, Erza-san? Isn't this going a little too far?"

Lucy sighed. "I don't know about her, but I must agree, I have faith in both of you." Lucy put her hands on my shoulders. "If you two really are the ones to bring out peace here in Fiore, then I'll support you guys in any way I can."

"Thank you Lucy-san! I promise your spirits will be safe and sound once we complete this task!"

"Tch. Whatever." Gajeel snorted while munching on a crowbar. "I'll be there just for the excitement. I'll show Salamander and the brat that they aren't the only dragon slayers who can slay dragons."

"Gajeel, as much as I want you to succeed as well, we must assess the importance of the situation as well." Pantherlily then turned to Happy and Carla. "We're all here to aid the dragon slayers in their mission. We exceeds are the eternal partners to the dragon slayers. We will succeed with this quest!"

"Aye sir!" Happy yelled in determination. Carla nodded, and then turned to me. "I'm ready when you are Wendy."

"All right! Now that we're all fired up, we're ready! Bring it on dragons!" Natsu yelled while spewing fire out of his mouth. "Hai! We must not let anything bad happen. We will carry through! Me, Natsu, everyone, we'll do this together!"

"Say Wendy, since when did you stop addressing Natsu formally?" Gray asked suspiciously.

"Huh?" _Embarrassing moment coming through! _"Well, I…I…"

"You got a problem with that Ice-boy?" Natsu growled. "I told her to drop it, so deal with it!"

"Fine, whatever flame-brain." _Phew, Natsu stepped in for me! I couldn't have felt any better…_

"Alright, now that everything's settled, Loke will now lead you to the vantage point. Levy has pinpointed a few areas in which you can access the celestial spirit world. Now that it's being controlled by dragons, celestial spirits haven't found it easy to go back and forth between worlds." Laxus then smiled, which was something that was considered a rare occurrence nowadays. "I wish the best of luck to all of you. Don't let me down, especially since it's my first year as Master." 

"Don't worry Laxus, this one's on us!" Natsu pumped his fist in the air. "Let's get going then!"

"Lu-chan, Gajeel, please come back safely." Levy waved.

"Gray, Natsu! Be the man that you are and return like a man!" Elfman roared out rather obnoxiously.

"Erza, I'll be waiting for your safe return." Mira gave her long-time friend and rival a hug before letting her move on.

"Juvia, please be safe." Lisanna called out. "Wendy." Lisanna winked at me. "Take care of Natsu." I flushed a deep shade of crimson red.

"This way, if you please." Loke guided us out the guild hall as we waved goodbye to the rest of the guild. "We will have to take the train to Crocus, as it is the closest vantage point."

"Train?" I groaned. This wasn't going to be a pleasant journey…

_On the train_

Natsu, Gajeel, and I were the only one's clutching our stomachs while the train sped through Fiore's countryside. Everyone else was staring at us as though we had some sort of contagious disease.

"Well this is a first. It looks like now that Wendy's of age, she's acquired motion sickness as well…" _Gosh! I didn't need Erza to rub it in like that!_

"Ah well, sucks to be Natsu, that's for sure!" Gray lay back on his seat and yawned. "Wake me up when this is all over." Juvia instinctively cuddled up beside her beloved Gray-sama and they both dozed off.

"Why don't you just cast Troia on yourself?" Carla inquired. "I know you can't heal yourself, but I'm pretty sure that if you're able to cast your buff spells on yourself, you should be able to do the same with Troia!"

_Troia! That's it! Why didn't I think of that before?_ Placing my hands on my head and trying to concentrate, I cast Troia on myself. Thankfully, it worked! I was overjoyed!

"A little help here brat…" Gajeel groaned. Natsu grumbled in agreement.

"Hai!" I went over to each of them. "Troia! Troia!"

Instantly, Gajeel was relieved. "Thanks…" He then dozed off just like Gray and Juvia. However, Troia didn't seem to work on Natsu. He was still groaning in pain, trying to hold in whatever was bothering him in his stomach.

"Sorry Natsu! I...I...I'll try again! Troia! Troia! TROIA!"

Still no effect. I sighed. What was the point of having healing powers if they only had a limited effect? I apologized over and over again, while Carla, Lucy, and Erza couldn't help but giggle over this scene.

Loke was still silent as he sat in the corner…

_At Crocus_

At first, I didn't recognize the place. The once festive atmosphere of Fiore's capital was now seen as rather empty and depressing. I assumed that maybe because the Grand Magic Games were not being held. However, wasn't the city most well known for its blooming flowers? Something didn't seem right about this place.

Loke led us to the middle of the courtyard and turned to face us. "This area has been sealed off to all bystanders except for those who have been in contact with celestial spirits. The only way you can access the celestial spirit world now is through me. Come around, the portal's opening."

In that instance, a magic seal was opened right underneath Loke's feet. Loke started sinking into the ground. "Well hurry! This seal isn't going to hold up much longer!"

We all scrambled to where Loke was. Soon enough, the seal was picking up speed, and we were sinking into the ground faster and faster. In a blinding flash of light, all of our surroundings were gone.

"Welcome to the celestial spirit world, or what's left of it."

We all gasped. What was once a shiny, sparkly palace city was now a gray desert plateau, with no signs of life anywhere.

Gajeel grunted. "So this is the so-called miraculous spirit world you guys were talking about. Seems like a wasteland to me."

"That's because it was attacked! Don't you see the seriousness of the situation here?" Lucy shrieked. "If it weren't for Loke, who knows what may have happened to my spirits?"

"So what do we do now?" Juvia asked. Despite being the brave former S-Class mage of Phantom Lord, I could sense that she was a little scared.

"I say we split up and search for this dragon. It's a pretty big creature, so it shouldn't be hard to find!" Gray pounded his fist into his palm. "I'll show that thing what I'm worth!"

"Gray-sama! You're so brave…." _Wow, talk about sudden shift in emotion…._

"Hey guys, aren't we forgetting something here?" Natsu suddenly said out of the blue.

"What is it Natsu? Is it food? I could use a good fish right now…" Happy sighed as his stomach grumbled. Carla scoffed. "Is this the time to be thinking about food? Happy, you should know better!"

"Oh no." Erza realized what Natsu was getting on to. Before you knew it, Erza was gasping for breath while clutching her arm, which was radiating under an ominous bright light. Following that, Gray collapsed, clenching his throat as the same light was burning on his neck. Pretty soon, everyone else was suffering under the burden of the light except for Natsu and me.

"Celestial clothes…" Lucy gasped. "Why did we forget about that? Loke….what's going on?"

Natsu clenched his fists. My doubts finally came true as I sensed Loke's magic suddenly shift from one of light to that of darkness. He resumed his celestial spirit form as he smirked, apparently satisfied that his plan had worked.

"Quick everyone, use the lacrima!" I yelled in hopes of keeping everyone alive. Pantherlily tried to take his out of his pocket, but Loke landed a swift kick at him, sending him flying while the lacrima burst into pieces.

"Loke…" Lucy was crying now. Why did her most trusted spirit friend suddenly turn against them? "Please, Loke…."

"Quit your jabbering and hold still." With a wave of his hand, Lucy's gate keys were taken from her and gathered at Loke's side. Another wave of his hand summoned all of Lucy's spirits from the keys they were held in. Now, we were surrounded by an army of celestial spirits, all with the presence of the same dark aura coming out of Loke. With one final wave, the lacrima pieces each one of my friends held were forcibly taken from them and destroyed on the spot.

"You're too late now. The end is near. The dragon slayer prophecy shall not come to fruition. For Lord Metalicana! Ruler of the celestial spirits!" Loke laughed hysterically, while the other spirits followed suit.

"What…no…." Gajeel mumbled.

_Metalicana? Isn't that Gajeel's foster parent? What will we do now?_

"This… isn't…. over…. yet! **_Ice-make: Lance!_**" Gray shot a barrage of ice spears at Loke. However, they were effortlessly knocked aside. "Tch. You'll all just never learn. In the celestial spirit world, we spirits are a lot stronger. You cannot hope to beat us here!"

Assessing the situation, I knew what to do. Not wanting anyone to die, I readied myself. "**_Arms! Armour! Vernier! Enchant!_**" I cast all three buff spells amongst my friends. Natsu seemed to understand intentions. "Sorry everyone, this might hurt a bit!" Leaping into the air, Natsu yelled, "**_Karyu no Koen!_**" (Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame). He threw a massive fireball at the ground, scattering the spirits while imbuing our friends with the power of his flames.

"What the… watch where you're throwing that thing!" Gray yelled trying to swat away the flames. However, he stopped and realized that that he wasn't choking anymore. "Huh, what's this?"

"Juvia feels that her magic is returning to her!" Juvia exclaimed. "We can fight back now!"

"Carla, you okay?" I asked my Exceed partner as she started to recover. She nodded. "Let's do this Wendy! Climb aboard!"

"Aye sir!" Happy yelled as he picked up Natsu and took flight while Carla did the same with me.

"This is it!" Erza yelled. "Thanks to Wendy and Natsu, we have the means to survive here! Defend yourselves and find that dragon!"

"HAI!" everyone yelled as we all engaged in battle.

"Don't think you'll get away that easily moshi-moshi!" Sagittarius fired a volley of arrows at Gray and Juvia, in which Gray countered with another Ice-Make: Lance spell. Juvia just took in each of the hits, unfazed by them. "Remember, Juvia's body is made of water. You cannot hurt me."

"Then I shall be the one to fight you, eh?" Aquarius appeared right behind Juvia and knocked her aside with a large torrent of water. "I'll show you who's master of aquatic environments here!"

"MMOOOOO! Even though I like Lucy's pretty little body, I have an obligation to rip it apart for our master's sake!" Taurus aimed a well-timed strike at Lucy with his battle axe. Lucy pulled out her whip. "It looks like it's time to show a few new tricks up my sleeve. **_Fleuve d'etoiles! Sparkling Shield!_**" Lucy's whip dissolved into its magical energy-like substance and formed a small force field around her. Taurus strike was knocked back, leaving him open for Lucy to counter-attack. "**_Fleuve d'etoiles! Direct Line Strike!_**" The whip turned into an energy sword, which fired a short but powerful beam of magic energy at Taurus, who was sent flying.

"S…s…sorry about this… **_Wool Wall!_**" Aries summoned a cloud of pink wool to prevent Taurus from getting knocked back any further. She then followed up with a wool bomb attack, trapping Lucy within it. "Ugh, I can't get out!"

"**_Tenryu no Saiga!_**" (Sky Dragon's Crushing Fang). Carla and I flew towards Lucy and I freed her with a few swipes. "Thanks Wendy!"

"No problem Lucy-san!" I proceeded forward to attack Aries, but little did I know that she was summoning wool underneath me this entire time. "**_Dark wool tower!_**" Carla and I got caught under her attack, and this time it didn't feel as fluffy and soft as her previous attack.

Gajeel and Pantherlily were engaging in combat with Scorpio and Capricorn. Swords clashed against goat hooves and Sand Buster attacks, and neither side was giving in. Gajeel especially was giving it his all. Since hearing that Metalicana was involved, I guess that he was so frustrated that he wanted answers.

"Damn you spirits! Where's Metalicana! Tell me! TELL ME!"

"We are! We ain't telling you anything! Gemini, now! **_Sand Buster!_**"

Gajeel was knocked back towards where Gemini was. Moments later, Gajeel found himself fighting a doppelganger of himself, Pantherlily left having to take on Capricorn and Scorpio himself.

"GRAGH!" Gajeel fiercely exchanged blows with Gemini, letting out his rage in the process. Clearly he was not having a good day.

Erza decided to take on Pisces, Libra, and Cancer on her own. She had requipped into her Purgatory Armour, ready to dish out huge damage. The problem was, she was having trouble working against Libra's gravity change effects while Pisces and Cancer lashed out their various attacks.

Natsu and Happy took on Loke and Virgo. While they remained in the air trying to avoid Virgo's mostly grounded attacks, Natsu engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Loke, fire clashing with light, both moving so fast that if it weren't for my enhanced senses, I wouldn't be able to see.

"LOKE!" Natsu made a well-aimed kick at Loke with his Fire Dragon's Claw attack. "WAKE UP! CAN'T YOU SEE YOU'RE BEING CONTROLLED HERE?"

"Hmm. Looks like you Fairy Tail wizards aren't going to learn your place. Time to turn to tables. **_Lion Brilliance!_**"

A brilliant burst of light had blinded all of us at once. Before I could make out what was going on, Carla and I found ourselves in an onslaught of Aries' punches and kicks, followed by torrents of her new dark wool attacks. They came by so fast that I had no time to retaliate. "Wendy, hang in there! I'll get us out of this! **_Max speed!_**" Carla flew me up high to avoid the attacks, but the relief was only temporary, as Aries caught up and knocked us back to the ground.

Lucy was having trouble with Taurus. After Loke's little power up, Taurus was not only faster, but a lot stronger as well. Lucy spat out blood as she was knocked to the ground by Taurus heavily enlarged fist.

Gray and Juvia's fight against Sagittarius and Aquarius wasn't going as well either. It seemed like Sagittarius gained a new arsenal of arrows, being able to shock Juvia with lightning every time he fired an arrow. Gray was caught in Aquarius' version of Juvia's Water Lock spell, being hit by hardened water bursts while trapped inside the sphere.

Pantherlily, reverted back to his miniature form, was pinned down by Capricorn. Gajeel wasn't faring well against his doppelganger, delivering fewer blows while receiving a lot more.

Erza, despite being the ferocious S-Class mage she lived up to be, was having trouble with her opponents. With the added strength bonus, Cancer was able to cut through Erza's Purgatory Armour effortlessly, with Libra increasing the intensity of her gravity change while Pisces repeatedly struck her unprotected body.

It was all hopeless. There was nothing we could do against seemingly invincible celestial spirits.

"Natsu!" I yelled as Loke and Virgo launched a joint attack, sending Natsu and Happy crashing to the ground. While trapped inside Virgo's new dark wool, Carla and I were flung to where Natsu and Happy lay. Pretty soon, everyone else was gathered at the same place, bruised and battle worn, while the celestial spirits stood above us, relatively unscathed.

"This is the end, Fairy Tail mages!" All at once, the twelve zodiac celestial spirits started to glow, gathering up magic energy. Many orbs of light surrounded all of us, leaving us no path to escape. We were done for.

"Urano Metria. A brilliant sight isn't it?" Loke sneered. "Thanks to you Lucy, we spirits were able to learn it as well! Too bad it won't be for your own good."

The orbs of light were beginning to close in on us. If only one of us had the strength to retaliate, we might be saved…

"**_Requip: Heaven's Wheel!_**" Erza stood up, facing the celestial spirits. She directed her gaze at me, smiling. "I've already told you. I am going to dedicate my life to making sure you and Natsu don't fail in your mission. You two got to keep on moving. It is for the sake of the whole realm of magic."

"Erza-san, what do you plan on doing?" I was worried that she was going to sacrifice herself in front of us. I couldn't let that happen!

"Erza! You promised me you weren't going to put your life on the line again!" Natsu shouted. "You still have friends that watch out for you! You can't just give up that easily!"

"Relax. This doesn't mean much. I'm just going to distract the spirits. We're all just going to split up and search this realm. We've got to find this dragon and destroy it. I believe in you. I believe in all of you."

"Erza! Don't do it!"

"There has to be another way Erza!"

"Titania! What are you thinking?"

"Get ready! **_Heaven's Wheel: Circle Sword!_**" In a flurry of slashes, Erza created a huge tornado, sending us flying in different directions. Gajeel and Pantherlily disappeared in one direction. Lucy, Gray, and Juvia went somewhere else.

"Wendy!" Natsu and Happy were flying towards me. Together, they grabbed me and an unconscious Carla out of the way before the orbs of light struck. I watched in horror as Erza just stood there, then just disappeared into thin air. "Erza-san…"

I had no time to mourn though. The impact from Urano Metria caused us to get knocked away from the scene, sending us flying into the distance. Natsu held onto me and Carla tightly as Happy tried to steer us away from flying debris. The last thing I heard before I feel unconscious was a rather sickening crack when we hit something, leading to the four of us falling who knows where.

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**Special note to NatsuxWendy fans:**

**I was browsing through Hiro Mashima's Twitter account one day because I had nothing better to do. Looking through the pictures he posts every now and then, I noticed a rather funny sketch of Natsu and Gray in some sort of rival situation again. However, Gray was holding Juvia (who of course was overjoyed), while Natsu was holding...wait what? Lucy, Lisanna, Erza, and Wendy? Gruvia vs NatsuxHarem LOL. It seems like Mashima is aware of the minor ships are well...**

**Anyways, just to let you know if you're interested...Til next time!**


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